Coffee to go
by DaChocolat
Summary: Freed works at a coffee shop as waiter whilst Laxus is the boss of a disco club. Since quite some time the green-haired waiter had caught the blond's attention what resulted in him visiting the Café Freed works at regularly. / Coffee Shop AU / Main pairing Fraxus
1. A number and a name

**Hey there guys! This is me making an attempt for a multichapter story. I can't say for sure how it will go but I'm gonna try anyway! So in this universe Freed is a waiter at a café and Laxus the owner of a club. What will happen if they finally start to meet each other officially? Find out here!**

* * *

He was here on each Tues- and Thursday and on the weekend.

And Laxus almost felt like a stalker or something as he was already watching out for the striking green hair.

It was Tuesday morning and he was here to get his favorite coffee. One cup...or probably more than one.. Really, this café had the harbored the best coffee in town! And one of the most interesting men he'd ever encountered. Though perhaps, 'interesting' was an understatement at this point.

Laxus was pretty sure that, by now, someone must have noticed his regular presence. Then again, it was usual for a place like this to have regular customers, right? So there was absolutely nothing suspicious about his behavior. Nothing at all.

Except for maybe the glances he threw over at the large counter which he didn't notice became a tad bit too obvious at times.

He couldn't understand it. What was up with all his visits here, his wish to see this green-haired waiter every morning? No, his wish was more than just that. Laxus Dreyar was at a loss. He hated it but couldn't change it either. These weird ass feelings overwhelming him every time he got here...

Bim bam, but Laxus Dreyar was not only at a loss, but he was most likely crushing on someone he'd never really talked to before. Only watched, and given his order. To top that, though, it was a _man_.

A man. A waiter. A damn handsome and interesting waiter. Someone who seemed worth his attention.

… but he still hated that he felt like this, somewhat helpless.

Looking over at the counter once more the blond wondered in silence where the man with the surname 'Justine' was. Maybe sick? Or perhaps he had an appointment? He probably wouldn't find out anyway, so why think about it?!

Grumbling over his own thought Laxus leaned back in his chair and pulled out his phone. The untouched cup of coffee was placed in front of him at the wooden table and a yawn escaped him as he switched through his messages.

But then suddenly, the door was pushed open and a man rushed through it, obviously in slight panic. It looked like it, at least.

Without wanting to seem to obvious, Laxus glanced away from his phone and focused on the man who just arrived instead.

Ah! There he was!

So he was just being late? As far as Laxus knew he had never been late before.

"What happened? You're never late!", a brunette woman greeted him with a small frown on her face.

"I apologize, Ever." That was all he said, apparently a little embarrassed. His green hair was tied up to a high pony tail, his garments neat as always. With the slight red color on his face he looked really cute, actually.

 _Wait._ Shaking his head Laxus groaned in frustration and tried to focus on his phone again. A message from his grandpa? Hm. Seriously, his own behavior irritated him but to be blamed was mostly the confusion that played a part in all of this.

Because this man confused him.

Shitty feelings.

Putting away his phone, not wanting to deal with problems so early in the morning, Laxus took his cup of coffee and brought it up to his lips letting the pleasant liquid run through his throat. Nothing could beat this coffee, honestly! But once again that was not all he wanted to focus on as he tried to overhear the conversation between the waiter and the waitress. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see that they seemed to be whisper somewhat secretly... and did they look at him?!

No, must just be his imagination. Dammit Dreyar, now don't start imagining things!

Peering into his cup with a scowl Laxus huffed as meanwhile the green-haired man and the woman named Ever, apparently, were indeed talking about him.

"He has been looking for you, I'm pretty sure, Freed. He looked disappointed even. I watched him.", Ever insisted while preparing the next order.

"Honestly Ever, I really can't imagine that a guy like him would...be interested in someone like me," he said frowning and concluding his statement with a low sigh.

"And you're disappointed about that?"

"What? No!"

Evergreen had a knowing smirk on her face, one that made the red color on Freed's cheeks reappear. "You should ask him if he would be interested in meeting you. Or give him your phone number," the female hummed and threw a side glance at the greenet. She was one hundred percent sure that Freed had noticed the regular presence from this blond man. Along with his sly glances. But boy, he was being shy! That was rare.

"...I'm a waiter here, Ever. I cannot flirt with my customers."

"Oh c'mon Freed, he's clearly interested!" Now she was huffing, and Freed certainly didn't expect her to turn around and flick his forehead.

"Hmph."

"Now don't grumble, go for it before he's gone again!"

That almost sounded like an order he couldn't ignore. Was this really the right move to make? Knitting his brows, Freed looked over to that one certain table and realized that the blond man apparently had company by now. Oh great...

In fact, one of Laxus' closest friends had arrived moments ago.

"Hey Lax, you should ask him out for a date already!" A tall man with blue hair stalked towards the blond and earned a look of disbelief, almost horror. "Bixlow dammit, shut your trap!" Geez, sometimes he wanted to kill that guy! "Don't scream it through the entire room!"

His friend just gave a hearty laughter as he let himself fall on the seat next to Laxus, a wide grin stretching on his face. "Oh c'mon, you've been too obvious anyway. Anyone knows by now, I bet. That ya like that guy. Go over and smooch him, baby. I bet he won't be able to resist ya."

"Bix...," Laxus growled and moved one hand up to rub his forehead. "I don't want to smooch him, dammit. He's the waiter here, he's a man and he's-"

"-totally the guy that caught yer attention, baby. And you totally do want to smooch him."

"Oh shut up," Laxus growled once more, this time in defeat. He knew Bixlow was right but he still wasn't able to wholly accept it. After a moment he grumbled. "... ya really think I should just... ask him out?"

The tall blue-haired man shrugged and sank further into his chair. "Yep." He looked aside, and suddenly a toothy grin was back on his face. "Now or never, I say."

Arching up a brow, Laxus followed his gaze. And instantly realized what he meant. Damn!

Mr. Justine was heading towards their table with what seemed to be a coffee-to-go in his hand and Laxus asked himself whether Bixlow had already ordered something. That wasn't all he noticed though. Was the green-haired man looking nervous?

… well he realized that sure as hell he was becoming a little nervous right now. Now or never, huh? Dammit, Bixlow.

Once Freed stood in front of their table Laxus felt the huge urge to flee this very moment whilst Bixlow was grinning as widely as ever still. He heard the waiter clearing his throat, probably to make sure that he had their attention, and just as the blond wanted to look up the greenet placed the coffee on his table.

"The coffee-to-go, Sir."

"But uh... ," Laxus started in a desperate attempt to keep up the conversation. Although he had to admit there was a tiny bit of confusion... He didn't order a coffee-to-go! "I didn't ord-"

Just as he wanted to state that however, the waiter with the surname Justine showed a tiny smile and mildly nodded towards the coffee. Laxus blinked, then looked away and at the plastic cup instead trying to figure out what was up... and that was when he noticed that something was scribbled on it. A... number? And a name.

A number and a name!

Glancing up, and hoping that he didn't let his utter surprise show, he gazed at his friend who already wore a knowing expression, guessing what just happened.

Then he dared to look over to the counter.

And the green-haired man was smiling at him. No, wait...

Laxus glanced back to the cup. One heartbeat later his own lips formed a similar smile.

"Freed... Freed Justine... "

 _Freed_ was smiling at him.

"Heh..."


	2. And suddenly there is confusion

**And chapter two is up! Thank you for everyone who's reading or considers following this story of mine.**

* * *

"You look especially happy today, Freed. Do you want to tell me something?" Mirajane, the owner of the Café called Strauss (named after he sure name, simple but catchy), wiped the counter and threw a side glance at the green-haired man.

Freed sighed. He could tell by only seeing her slightly mischievous expression that she knew more than she let on already. So all he did was to give a small shrug and kept on putting away glasses and mugs. She was right, though. This morning had been specially successful in its own way. Never would he have thought that he would be the one making the first step.

Surely, he had to thank Evergreen for that.

"I told Ever that she could leave a bit earlier. I hope this is alright with you, Mira," he explained but went on with his own business. Being in thought the edges of his mouth twitched, hinting a smile. This blond man did have his number now. And his full name.

Now he just had to wait.

"It is. I know she and my brother have a date this evening."

"Is there anything you _don't_ know?" He snorted but in a more playful manner. Honestly, this woman had an incredibly huge amount of knowledge when it came to all sorts of relationships. Freed knew that the happiness of her loved ones were Mirajane's priority in all of this, though.

"I'm sure there is," she replied and finally turned around throwing a glance at the clock. "Evergreen told me that you exchanged numbers with one of our regular customers, Freed. That's why you're so happy, isn't it?" She didn't even give him a chance to respond and continued. "I knew he was interested. Ever since he came here he always looked at you. Not to mention that he only seems to be here when _you_ are here, too."

This thought made him blush. He knew she wasn't in the wrong. Everything Mirajane said seemed to be right, he had noticed it himself.

And suddenly he feared... what if the blond wouldn't message or call him? What if everything they thought was just a dumb assumption? What if this man was secretly amused now and making fun of how stupid he was? A joke, just for the sake of amusement.

Mira took note of her friend's suddenly changing expression. Freed slowed down in his work, the glass in his hand put down on the counter. "Hey, now don't disappoint me. You worry far too much."

Freed turned his head, looking at her with a slightly saddened expression. He was twenty years old dammit, he shouldn't always nourish such depressive thoughts when it got around his love life. But how on earth was he supposed to know if... if ...

"He doesn't need to be gay to fall in love with you, okay? He was obviously here because of you. You, Freed. You are a handsome man, Freed, and with an absolutely amazing personality, too. Everyone would be lucky to have you by their side. So are Ever and I." Mira gave him a sincere and soft smile and Freed knew that these words weren't just said to cheer him up.

It was one of the factors he appreciated about Mira so much. She was honest, and usually she made the people around her feel loved.

"...alright." He sighed and sincerely hoped that Mira was right. It was not like him to crush on somebody without even knowing him. Well, he thought that he was crushing on this quite attractive blond guy at least. How was he supposed to know? He'd never really been in love before after all. A few kisses and touches here and there, experiences gathered on the wild ride called 'figuring out my sexuality, what way or ways do I swing?', but a real crush? Not to mention, love? Hah, no. Freed had never really been in touch with this deep feeling. Love for his friends, of course. His parents... more or less. Though yea, one would probably call that love, too. But love as in... relationship? Couple stuff?

"Will you tell me if he messaged you?"

Freed turned to Mira, blinking and spotting the excited glint that had reappeared in her ocean blue eyes. Why did everyone have to be so curious... "Um... ," he hesitated as he stepped past her to rearrange some china plates. Tuesday and Wednesday were the two days at which the café would close two hours earlier than usual and Mira and Freed were preparing the building for their leave. 7 pm. "... if I tell Evergreen ..." And he promised her already that he would. Honestly, this woman always got what she wanted. "... then she will tell you anyway and you will gossip about it at your next shift together." He concluded, rolling his eyes.

"We are not gossiping, we are chatting. Besides, it's exciting!" Mira smiled brightly. She had that look that almost appeared like she was planning the wedding already.

"Exciting..." A mumble that was not audible for the barmaid fell from the male's lips, and absent-mindedly he went to fetch his jacket that looked slightly old-fashioned yet elegant.

"Promise me that you will write or call me, Freed! I want to hear it from you. In exchange I'll tell you everything I get to know about Elfman and Ever's date," she offered with her expression turned hopeful. Freed only gave a tiny smirk.

"That doesn't work. Ever will tell me everything anyway if I approach her the right way," he paused and let his smirk linger on her for one more moment before he sighed and his features softened. "Have a good rest evening Mira, and sleep well."

"Thank you, Freed, and see you!" Mira bid goodbye with a warm smile and watched him leave.

She would hear how it went in any case. Thursday morning at the latest.

x

"What are ya doin' here? Aren't ya busy at the bar?"

"Take it easy, big boss, I told Gray to overtake the lead for a couple of moments. Told him I have to talk to ya." A brunette woman was leaning against the door frame of the room located behind the kitchen, her eyes as brown as her hair. She was pretty, vibes of confidence coming from her as well as a slight scent of alcohol.

Laxus sighed and turned around to face her at last. That the brunette had consumed alcohol during her working period wasn't something new and definitely not what was bugging him right now. "Gray? He doesn't even work here."

"I know."

"As long as he doesn't demand money," the blond huffed but then crossed his arms before his broad chest. "So what's so important that ya have to busy Gray with your work?"

Not being bothered or intimidated at the slightest the brunette female named Cana shrugged. "Gajeel told me that you've been tense and snapped at two ladies. That's not like you. Sure, bickering with Gajeel and men who get on your nerves. But two of our costumers, and women, too?"

"Gajeel?" Laxus narrowed his eyes. What Cana was telling him wasn't a lie but he would hate to admit it in front of her. "Where's he?"

"Hey, now did he tell the truth? What's eating ya, Laxy? You know you can tell me."

He could. Cana was able to keep secrets. But he didn't feel like talking about it. So he just shrugged and glowered at her. "Is Gajeel outside?"

"Yea, I think he is", the female sighed and stood straight realizing that trying to talk to him about it was going to be a failed attempt.

"Don't call me Laxy, hear me?"

"Gotcha, Sparky."

Laxus growled. "Now get your drunk ass back to the bar and do your work before your friend starts a stripping show again."

"Would that really be that bad? I bet many of our visitors wouldn't mind," Cana retorted with a cheeky grin along with a wink. A heartbeat later she was waving her hand and rushing outside, however. "Yea, yea I'm out already!"

Moments later Laxus followed and strutted straight out of the club. Family business. After his grandfather had become old enough to step back from the lead Laxus had taken over and changed quite a lot. This place used to be calmer and similar to the café Freed was working at but Laxus decided to transform it into something that was more to his liking. His grandfather, Makarov, didn't have any objections as long as it was something that kept up the success and was something Laxus wanted. He didn't want to force his grandson into something, especially not after all the trouble that had occurred with the blond's father.

Turned out that turning the café club into a disco was an entirely positive decision.

Once outside the tall male didn't need to look around much till he spotted the familiar figure with long and wild black hair. "Yo, Gajeel."

Gajeel turned. He looked surprised by the sudden appearance of his boss but his gaze switched back to two other men immediately. "I'm on top of things, no need to intrude," the black-haired man then claimed and was about to go on with what he was doing before but Laxus got suspicious.

He didn't mention anything about intruding. Sure, it might look like it but... "Did they cause trouble," Laxus asked nodding into the direction of the two strangers.

"Pretty much."

"What did they do?" Laxus eyes narrowed dangerously making the two young men wince. They were visibly shorter and probably not older than eighteen.

Gajeel hesitated even though he was directing a similar stern look at the troublemakers. Remembering Laxus' earlier odd mood was keeping him from spilling the beans instantly.

But he couldn't avoid telling him anyway. "... Tryin' to deal with drugs." Once the statement was out Gajeel knew a storm was about to happen. He could see it in the way Laxus' eyebrows twitched, then the corners of his mouth. His expression seemed unimpressed, but then...

"If I see you two dirty bastards here ever again, I'll make you regret it with every single fibre of your body, got it?" His voice was a mere growl as his two hands shot forward to grip both of the guys by their collars. Laxus could easily grab both of them whilst he was towering over the two and glared down in warning. He tugged at their shirts harshly, crunching his nose in a gesture of disgust and then threw both of them out of the way as if they were just pieces of garbage he had to get rid of.

Drugs in his club? No way! Growling, Laxus stepped away and shot a brief glance at Gajeel. "Deal with them."

"I've called the cops already, no need to fret." Gajeel shrugged and eyes the blond. Laxus' actions were not necessary and usually his boss didn't fly off the handle like this. He could be harsh and seem cold by nature but normally he made sure not to become violent with his customers.

Not that Gajeel worried about him. It was just odd.

The black-haired walked towards the two young men, one of the rubbing his back, and made sure that they didn't think of fleeing. Even though he was pretty sure that this idea wouldn't even shoot through their head. Not with Laxus glowering at them like he was.

"I wanted to talk to ya. But these bastards need to get put in their place first," Laxus commented dryly with his gaze still targeting the two young men. "Meet me in the storage room once the cops picked them up."

He then left, going inside without even waiting for Gajeel's reply.

Gajeel just prayed that he wouldn't get into trouble since Laxus seemed specially grumpy. He'd rather not deal with his highly miserably-tempered boss (even though he was kinda used to it).

When Laxus entered the large hall again he let his piercing gaze roam over the crowd briefly. It was just as crowded as always. People dancing everywhere and drinking at the bar. He saw that Cana had taken over her place again, cheerfully serving the customers as always.

Cana was curious, loud and she drank too much during her working period. But she was without doubt a great waitress and barmaid, always carrying the people around her along with her good mood. Laxus was grateful to have her here. He honestly was.

Gray was still attend also, it seemed. He was sitting at the large bar, near Cana so they could keep talking about whatever. Laxus didn't know him well but he was here regularly and he was aware that he was Cana's best friend.

And he knew that he had a... well, stripping hobby. This was what Cana told him at least and there was this one time he offered a gratis show at his disco.

His disco was certainly not the place for something like this, though. Not that Laxus had something against such stuff, no. But he didn't need it here.

Of course, and there was genuinely no evening without this kind of thing, couple stood here and there exchanging gestures of affection. Kisses and secret touches they thought no one would see 'cause everyone seemed to be busy with their own things. Laxus didn't have something against this either. Or to be more precise, he _used to be_ okay with it.

No, normally he used to just shake his head and just kept minding his own business.

It was a couple of weeks ago that he made a small scene because he found a guy and girl making out in the restroom. It was stupid, he knew that. There was no disco without couples making out somewhere.

Truth is, and he was just not willing to admit it to himself, he was confused. Confused about what the fuck was going on with his heart. There was this stupid, good-looking waiter with this beautiful smile and something mysterious in his eyes and he just felt like he was falling. And landing really hard.

Honestly, he didn't even know this guy! All he ever said to him was his order. A black coffee, and later another black coffee to go. Sometimes when he desired something less strong, a delicious Cappuccino. Nothing more. A greeting, his order and sometimes a 'bye' and 'good day'.

That was it.

But ever since he'd gotten this dumb feeling that made him all flurry inside, and Laxus Dreyar was almost never nervous, he just got that weird sting in his stomach whenever he passed a couple.

And boy, that did occur regularly. Much to deal with. Perhaps this was why his mood seemed to drop more often lately.

Why tonight though? He had gotten a number and finally knew this green-haired guy's full name! After weeks, months of just watching him silently he finally made progress. Why the hell was he feeling shitty? He should be thankful, shouldn't he?

Growling to himself and quickly fleeing from the large main hall Laxus headed towards the storage room. He'd just wait in there till Gajeel returned and then he could ask him why the hell he'd told Cana that he snapped at two of his lady customers and that he looked tense.

He wasn't fucking tense!

Alright, maybe he was. And maybe it had to do with the number that was waiting for him to be called or messaged. A number that belonged to a man.

A man. A man he was interested in?

"No way..." Running his fingers through blond spikes Laxus exhaled. Yes, he should be grateful. Instead he was feeling even more conflicted than before. He had never been interested in men. Women were pretty, women were attractive, women were his individual dating rules.

That's what he'd always _assumed_ until now. He'd never been in a relationship before, was too busy with other stuff to think of something like... love. And now that he had the chance, he had to get interested in a man? The fact that he now had an actual number, an actual way approach and get to know Freed better just let him fall into this realization and he hated that it was confusing him even more while he had wanted for things to clear up instead!

But just as he wanted to punch the wall in frustration Gajeel entered the room.

"Here I am." Gajeel shrugged, looking pretty unconcerned even though he wondered why Laxus wished to talk to him.

Laxus turned, arms crossed before his chest as he fell into a quite usual stance. He leaned back against the wall of the storage room, expression stern. "Yea. Why did ya tell Cana about my odd mood?" The last two words got almost spit out, and a snort followed.

The blond knew his mood was indeed weird. But he was not comfortable with others noticing it.

"Dunno." Again, Gajeel shrugged. But then he raised his voice a bit more. "Maybe cause usually ya fucking care about the reputation of yer club? Ya know, 'cause snapping at the two ladies wasn't the best move."

"Ya think I don't fucking know?!" Laxus didn't hesitate to snap back. It was a stupid move, he knew it. But there was no need to tell it all his fellows. This was none of their business, just his alone!

"Then what's up? What's the matter with you tonight?" Gajeel really wasn't honestly worrying. Not worrying as in being concerned, that is. It was just strange, and the black-haired man didn't like how the blond was acting. Something was upsetting his boss and while he knew that he had no right to intrude, he could at least ask. Perhaps he'd find out something.

Laxus fell silent this time. Simply because he wasn't able to respond right away. What was wrong? He didn't fucking know! He was confused yea, that was wrong.

Scowling, his right hand twitched to one pocket of his pants and rested on it. "Don't know. Just in a bad mood, is all," he grumbled and felt the phone in beneath the fabric. He'd already saved Freed's number, but...

"Yea well, maybe ya should find out why. Or just try not to scare yer customers. That's usually not yer thing," Gajeel argued and leaned back against the wall now as well, standing across from the taller man. "Whatever it is, it's making ya very obviously upset." And that was the main thing that bothered Gajeel – normally Laxus hid all his emotions to the best of his abilities, especially at work.

Another growl rumbled in the blond male's throat but again he wasn't sure how to reply. Gajeel was right and he didn't feel like admitting it directly even though he could guess that the black-haired security man probably knew as well that he was right. "I'll deal with it on my own. It's nothin'. So don't go around and tell people about it, don't need anymore of ya intruding."

"Yea yea. Gotcha, won't happen again." Rolling his shoulders briefly, as a sign of resignation, Gajeel stood straight and turned towards the door. He reached towards the knob but hesitated a moment before he actually opened the door and walked outside. "If ya still wanna talk... ya know...-"

"Yea. But that won't be necessary. There's no problem. I'll just deal with my mood and try to kill whatever caused it," the blond responded surprisingly calm sounding a bit absent-minded.

"Yea alright... sure." And with that, Gajeel left the storage room leaving Laxus alone.

The previous scowl got replaced by a frown and the urge to punch the wall was gone as well. The nervousness showed up again once he was on his own and the confusion returned, too. Yes, he hated it and he couldn't explain why all of this happened this way.

Finally pulling out the phone out of his pants pocket, the blond opened his contacts and scrolled until one particular name showed up.

Freed Justine.

Thereunder, the waiter's number. Laxus had felt ridiculously happy the moment the green-haired had made the move and handed him the coffee to go with his name and number. But all that was left now was an odd feeling he didn't like at all. Now that he actually had the chance to get to know this man better and date him... This man...

Pursing his lips, he kept peering at the screen for what felt like hours until he focused one small key on the phone screen.

Delete contact.

Would it delete this strange feeling, too? Laxus just felt pathetic right now, for so many reasons, and it drove him crazy. All he knew was that he had to get rid of this feeling again.

Or learn how to deal with it.

* * *

 **What's Laxus gonna do, how will they go on? Find out in the next chapter!**


	3. Orange eyes in the crowd

**a/n: Here's chapter three of my little story! I hope you're enjoying it so far and reviews and tips are always welcomed of course! :)**

"Shit, shit, shit!"

Almost tripping over one of his shoes that was lying on his small living room's floor, Laxus stumbled towards his bathroom in order to take a shower in record time. Garments flew off of his well-built body, got carelessly thrown into any direction, before he stepped under the running water.

But the next nasty surprise hit him just this moment.

"FUCKIN' HELL!" The water turned out to be way too hot. What he wanted was a cold shower, so he could wash away the sleepiness, but what he got was the exact opposite. Hissing, Laxus quickly stepped aside and set the right temperature.

It was not like him to oversleep. Due to his work he tended to take short naps during noon every once in a while, but he was always ready to leave his humble home on time. He vowed to himself, this time would not be different. He was going to be punctual. The last thing he wanted was someone prying into his affairs again because 'his mood was odd' or 'he wasn't punctual like usual'. Goddammit all.

Once he had dried himself enough so he could dress himself without getting ugly stains on his garments, Laxus rushed in his bedroom and blindly grabbed black pants and a casual shirt and slipped them over. Next up, he dashed into his bathroom once again and ran his fingers through the blond hair of his. Luckily there was no real need to style it. It always looked a little messy, so it was perfectly fine if he left like this.

Laxus had been thinking the last three days. Far too much. He noticed that part of his confusion was gone, but the nervousness hadn't decreased. Or he just didn't notice. But the most important thing was that he now knew what he wanted and what he was not willing to involve himself in.

The only problem that was left was that he had no idea how to work on it. Especially not now that whole three days had passed.

He honestly had to banish these thoughts from his mind, though. He had to go to work. _Quick_!

Muttering curses under his breath, the tall male fetched some bread from his kitchen and then left his house without putting on a jacket. It was midsummer, so there was no need anyway. A quick glance at his watch told him that it was almost 8pm, the exact time his club opened. Three minutes were left and he couldn't use a car or some other means of transportation thanks to a reason he was a bit ashamed of and hated to talk about. So all he could do was to run or walk in a quick pace.

Sure, there was the possibility to just cook up an excuse. He was the boss after all. Hell, he didn't even need to explain himself! But Laxus despised lame excuses and lying. He had pride he didn't it want to get injured unnecessarily.

Two minutes left. Well then…

x

Foolish. That was what he was. For thinking that a guy like Laxus would even be thinking about meeting, not to mention dating him.

"Freed? Hey, someone there?" Ever had enough of him sulking. He'd been in a significantly bad mood for days and of course she knew the reason. She however, in contrast to him, was still confident that this issue was not finished yet. "Freed, really." The woman rolled his eyes in annoyance now, but still only got a grunt as response.

It was Friday afternoon and Ever, Freed's workmate and best friend, was trying to convince him to go out with her. Not only because she wanted some distraction for the sulking greenet, but because she felt like it and Friday night outs tended to be the best.

The main problem – stubborn and sulking Freed was very stubborn and very much sulking. Not that Ever couldn't comprehend it, but honestly…sitting here in silence wouldn't help anything! Apart from that, she hated to see him like this.

The past three days Freed's mood had been dropping consequently until the point at which he was just embarrassed and moody and shut himself away completely. He built up what seemed to be a cold mask, but this time Ever saw it crumbling constantly all too well.

When it got around the man's love life, one certainly couldn't say that he had much luck. Not only that his preference for men was giving him a harder time already, but Freed didn't fall in love easily. If he did though, even if it was just the beginning of a tiny crush….then he fell _hard_. And Ever could see that this was the case and the exact reason for the greenet's huge disappointment.

Many times she'd tried to set him up with a guy or even a girl who seemed acceptable to her. Not that it was necessary – Ever was convinced that Freed could have free pick if he wanted to. He was good and neat looking, considerate and polite, had that slightly mysterious touch and knew what he was doing. Well, mostly.

But Freed didn't just want anyone. After what seemed a thousand of attempts from Ever to convince him, he even went out on a couple of dates. But nothing succeeded, no one ever managed to get to his heart.

Seeing that now, as he seemed to have found someone he was truly interested in, he just got dumped like that was simply heartbreaking.

"Freed…", she sighed leaning back on the couch. "Look, perhaps he is nervous? Or lets you wait on purpose to make it more interesting?"

"How on earth is this making it more interesting?", the man grumbled and was about to stand up but Ever tugged at his shirt and dragged him back.

"Some men may find this interesting. Play hard to get, you know?" She knew that it didn't sound very appealing or convincing in the current situation but she had to say something. Plus, it was the truth. She did believe that the blond man whose name they didn't know would approach Freed still, even if it took some more time. He'd been visiting the café for what felt like ages after all! Only for Freed. Well and maybe, the great coffee. But mainly Freed. Yep.

"You are gonna come with me tonight and I don't want to hear anymore objections, Justine, or I will claw your hair out with my nails!"

Hearing that just made Freed give what sounded like a snarl and with narrowed eyes he leaned away from her. "Hands off of my hair."

Ever wanted to laugh at this typical reaction, but this time she stayed dead serious. "I will. You know it's true." She crossed her arms and leaned towards him. "Or I'll hit you with the heel of my high heels."

"No way!", the greenet grumbled and kept his gaze glued to her.

"Maybe he's a big asshole. You don't really know him after all. Maybe it's good he didn't message you—yet."; she added quickly switching the subject more or less smoothly. She saw the previous disappointment crawling back onto his face and that was when she realized again how much one single message of the blond would have meant to Freed.

Ever sighed and wanted to switch the topic again, but then she got interrupted by Freed's murmur. "…I know. I know that I don't know him, Ever." The man looked up, pulling up his legs and hugging his knees closely to his body. Sadness flickered in his greenish blue eyes, edges of his mouth twitching as he proceeded. "…but I wanted to _get_ to know him. It was a chance, you know?" A miserably sounding sigh followed, his voice getting lower with each word. "…Perhaps I should have asked for his number and his name instead…"

"Freed, sweetie…" Ever reached out to touch one of his arms, her brown eyes gazing at him. "You know what I think. Give him some more time." It was so very unusual to see Freed being as pessimistic as he was right now. Though in fact this one topic tended to make things a whole lot more complicated for him…

Freed threw a quick glance out of the corner of his eyes at his friend. He appreciated her presence and her attempts to soothe his mind and mood, he really did. She was the only one he could entrust each and every single one of his thoughts and deeds, whatever was keeping him busy. Mira certainly knew a lot, too, but Ever… The two of them had known each other for what felt like ages.

"Yea…" Finally, he nodded and let go of his knees, body slouching. "Alright…"

Ever gave him a soft smile. Then it slowly turned mischievous and she reached out to ruffle his hair before he could sense anything. "Ehehe. Now look at you."

It earned her a growl, but nothing more. He just stood up and straightened his attire more out of habit than anything else. "This is idiotic…", he mumbled.

"What?" Ever stood up, crossing her arms. "The hair ruffling? Oh come on, Freed, it was just—"

"That too, yea. But I meant my sulking. Truly idiotic." A snort fell from his lips and he headed towards another room without throwing another look at Ever.

"Oh." Slowly, the female's lips curved.

"Yea. I'm coming."

"Coming?"

"Coming with you. Remember, you were desperately trying to convince me to go out with you."

"…I was…", she mumbled and then her lips reached the form of a full-grown smile at last. "That's my man!"

Ever followed him, just to nearly stumble when Freed halted with an abrupt motion. "Wha—"

"Elfman really is rubbing off on you, isn't he?" Ever couldn't see his face, but she could pratically _hear_ the smirk.

"Oh hush, I told you about the date already!", the female snapped and gently hit the greenet's back. Her now slightly red cheeks puffed out and her arms were still unalteredly crossed under her chest.

"Are you sure you told me everything? Even the juicy bits?"

"Freed Justine!"

"Yes, that's my name.", he chuckled and turned his head to her. Now Ever could actually see the smirk. She knew it! Apart from the fact that it was good to hear him tease and see him smile…well, smirk again…this was not how she wished it to happen! So she quickly pointed at the male and stated. "There are no juicy bits!"

"Are you sure?", Freed chuckled but then walked to his bedroom, halting in front of a large mirror. Standing in front of it, he began to fix his long green hair.

"Absolutely!" Honestly. What did he think? She and Elfman were dating for maybe… three weeks now. They've gotten to know each other as she started working at Mirajane's café and seeing how Elfman was her little brother it was just a matter of time before she saw him the first time. Actually, she was not a lot better when it came to love issues. Evergreen barely let anyone near her and a relationship required lots of trust. Trust she couldn't have or offer immediately.

But Elfman seemed to be a neat man. Beside that, Ever was sure that Mira had an eye on both of them.

"So, what exactly was your plan? Where are we going?", Freed inquired and walked over to his large wardrobe. The majority of his garments were neat and had a slightly elegant touch, but of course he owned casual clothes, too. Attire fitting for almost each sort of occasion.

"Well, I thought we could go to the Donnerhall* Club. You know, the fairly new one that opened only one month ago. I didn't have the chance to visit it yet." Ever shrugged, glancing at him and awaiting an answer. Freed was not exactly one to go out and party regularly, but it wasn't like he had something against it either. Occasionally he would go along with Ever and Mira, sometimes with Lucy, Lisanna and Levy too. So all he did as he heard her question was to nod.

"Sure, why not I suppose. It's not far from here, right?"

"No.", the female quickly reassured and smiled. "It opens at eight but I would suggest we go one hour later. So you have…" She quickly searched his clock and threw a look at it. "One hour to spruce yourself up.", she winked.

Freed just rolled his eyes. "I don't need to spruce myself up."

"Of course you don't.", Ever chuckled and leaned against the door frame. She was wearing a short light green dress and her hair laid perfectly over her shoulders with her wavy curls. She wore decent make up and her glasses, high heels to perfect her outfit and Freed found that she simply looked stunning, as always.

"Elfman is a lucky guy." Freed gave her a teensy smile, then picked black pants and a dark green shirt. Glancing around, he searched for his favorite belt and began to shuffle through his large bedroom a moment later. "Short pony tail or high pony tail?", he asked casually while kneeling on the floor and looking under the bed. Frowning, he stood up again and mumbled to himself.

Ever just smiled at Freed's first statement and watched with mild amusement how the man was seeking his belt whilst she walked over to a chair and picked up the item he was searching for. "Clumsy much, Justine?" Grinning, she held up the belt and swayed it, causing Freed to glance over…and then huff.

"Thanks." Stealing the belt out of her hand, Freed proceeded to put it on.

"High pony tail."

"Huh?"

"You asked me how you should wear your hair. This was my answer."

"Oh. Uh yea, alright." The green-haired man didn't bother to look up and only moved from the spot again once his outfit was fixed and completed. Now to get his hair brush…

Ever sighed, smiling lightly. "You really do need some fun stuff and distraction. Believe me, this is a good idea. I'm going to make sure that you will have fun."

"I don't doubt that.", the male replied mumbling but secretly did have his doubts still. Perhaps, just maybe he was fearing that everything might just get worse… Though then again, what should happen, right? "Is someone else coming along?"

"I didn't ask someone else yet. Do you want me to?", Ever asked.

"I'm fine either way."

"Perhaps I'm just gonna call Mira and Lisanna. Perhaps Mira can come and bring Lisanna after she closed the café."

Freed gave a kinda absent-minded nod and Ever took it as sign to call one of the two siblings. Funnily enough, Freed's friends were almost one hundred percent female ones. At times, when he would meet him, he would have an enjoyable conversation with Rufus Lore and then there was Rogue who he had a real good connection with. But his closest friends were women. Ever and Mira, Lisanna and Levy… He had gotten to know Lucy, a fairly kindhearted and ambitious woman, thanks to Levy. She loved books just as much as the blue-haired woman and himself, and was working hard on becoming a writer.

Freed thought that she definitely had potential.

xxx xxx

He didn't arrive on time after all. Two minutes too late, though luck seemed to be on his side as no one really noticed that he did in fact come too late this evening.

Rubbing his forehead with his fist, Laxus strutted over towards the bar where Cana was already serving one of her regular customers. The club had barely opened and he was here already. Always the same man.

Not that Laxus minded. Regular customers were a good thing. Huh…Why again did he quit visiting the café since some days?

For stupid shit reasons, yea!

Usually his work tended to be a good way of distraction, however. The operative word being 'usually' because everything he thought he was certain of seemed to be changing and he hated it.

"Yo Cana!"

"Boss man, what can I do for you?" Cana waved cheerily and greeted him with a grin. She had kept an eye on him the last days and although she felt that Laxus was trying his best to hide it she could see that he struggled to conceal that something was bothering him immensely. Alas, he still denied any attempt to talk or accept help.

Apparently it was an issue he had to figure out on his own, so Cana would let him.

"Your job.", Laxus replied nonchalantly and leaned against the bar counter once he arrived. "Make me a drink."

"Drinking during work?", the brunette inquired but transformed her grin into a smirk while she shifted and begant to mix a drink for her boss and friend.

"Not much. Just need this again." He never got drunk during work, but one or two drinks never turned out to be a severe mistake up to now. In the one hour that passed since his arrival he'd managed to get some paperwork done, work he despised but got used to nonetheless. Not without the help of his grandfather, however.

Satisfied, Laxus watched how more people flocked into the hall that was neon-lit in some parts. One corner of the room located a section with couches and chair chushions, though most of the hall consisted of the dancefloor and the bar of course. Music was ringing loudly, and the atmosphere was just like he wished it to be.

He honestly was glad that this business seemed to work this well and he sincerely hoped that he would manage to keep the success steady. After all, it was merely one month ago since he started.

"Freshly mixed!", Cana cheered as she danced back over to the blond man. "With a lemon slice on top. I wouldn't suggest biting into it, though. Unless you like it very sour.", she winked and shoved the glass over to him.

Laxus took it with a nod and glanced at the red liquid in it, then eyed the slice of lemon briefly before he looked over at her again. "Thanks for the advice.", he snorted but brought himself to offer a short smirk.

With the drink in his hands the blond turned slightly and rested one arm on the counter. More and more people arrived bit by bit, most of them already in a cheerful mood.. Of course, he witnessed it every night, some of them did not look all too happy to be here.

Just as he thought about it, he noticed a male with green hair entering the hall. Fittingly, he didn't look very pleased either and this coincidence would have made him chuckle to himself, but then it struck him like lightning.

 _Green hair._

The man turned.

 _This face._

Immediately, Laxus' expression changed to a grimace and a low 'shit' escaped him as he put down the glass and instantly turned back around to Cana. The female glanced at him in confusion before she thought to conclude correctly. "I warned you not to bite into the lemon slice!", she laughed but stopped when Laxus shook his face.

"'s not that damn lemon."

"No? What happened then?" Admittedly, Cana looked a bit worried now and mixed with the confusion it was definitely an expression Laxus didn't get to see her wear very often. Quickly, he waved his hand and took the drink into his hand again. "'m fine.", he growled and then dared to turn around again. At this very moment he met the green-haired waiter's gaze and saw shock flickering in these eyes of his.

So he had spotted and recognized him… Shit. Never, never had he seen him here before! Not even once in this one month! Why now?!

He knew the woman who accompanied Freed was his work mate. He'd seen her working with him at the café many times.

For a moment it seemed as if the greenet wanted to turn back around, but the brunette woman began to talk insistently to him.

Shaking his head, he quickly averted his eyes.

He just had to act casual as always. No big deal.

…right?

xxx xxx

"He's here! What is _he_ doing here?"

"Freed, listen-"

"Ever, I-"

"Freed.", Ever spoke in an almost warning voice. "Keep calm now, don't look into his direction too obviously." She saw that the blond man had spotted them already. He seemed to be very caught unawares and dumbfounded at the first moment before he more or less successfully pretended to continue with his own business. "You did the first step. He _will_ make the second one. Now, come on!"

"But- but not to the bar, not as long as he is this close!", the greenet protested mildly. He suddenly felt so small and nervous again even though he knew there was no reason to! But he just…He felt _pathetic_.

"Nope!" Ever grinned at him and promptly took his hand before she dragged him off to the dancefloor. "We're gonna dance!"

"D-Dance?!" That was worse! "Ever, wait-"

Freed was definitely not a party animal, nor was he used to dance in clubs. He was a very talented dancer when it came to classic dance styles, but…free dancing? To such music? To be completely honest, he'd always tried to avoid dancing until now.

Sighing, he gave in nonetheless. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea after all, one could never know. And perhaps it would in fact distract him.

But _why_ he felt _his_ orange-brown eyes following him again?

 _So that was it for this chapter! I know they are a bit short perhaps, but I'll try to keep the chapter updates regular!_

 _Two notes:_

 _*Donnerhall = German, echo of thunder/thundering echo_

 _And here is the song I listened to whilst writing the last part, random aha :D - watch?v=jn8-_VT0CUc_


	4. Unplanned encounter

**Chapter 4! Thank you for reading this AU fanfic, thank you for the likes and thank you so much for following me! I hope you like it so far. This time there will be teensy-weensy progress hehe.**

* * *

Soon enough it turned out that his hope was destined to just stay one. A hope and not reality. Even though Ever convinced him to go out and then dance with her, Freed wasn't able to just neglect that fact that _he_ was here.

The blond man he knew from the café he worked at. Well, he didn't really _know_ him. But he wanted to learn more about him so badly! Which was excatly why he had been so disappointed that he didn't message him after he had gathered all of his courage and gave him his number and his full name.

The shock must have been written so clearly on his face when their eyes met, he could see it in the blond's expression. Apparently neither of the two had expected to meet here again, but fate wanted it this way.

At the moment it was something bad in Freed's book. But who knows…perhaps it was bound to change.

Now he was fairly glad that the entire hall – and the dancefloor – were pretty crowded with people. Some seemed to have consumed too much alcohol already and others were dancing and talking cheerfully.

Including Ever. Actually, she used to be a lot more like him. More restrained and serious. She didn't go out and have fun regularly, but since both of them decided to work at the café things began to change. For the better, mind you. They had their reasons for working at this fairly humble but nice place, and in the end neither of them regretted this decision.

It gave them the chance to make new friends. Ever finally fell in love and lightened up, took more risks and allowed herself to have more fun.

Freed lightened up as well. It was the best he could do – to search a house to live just for himself and a new workplace.

"Freed really, I can practically _hear_ you thinking!" Ever took his hands and squeezed them before letting go again and turned.

"I'm sorry, I just-"

"I know." She turned again and smiled, dancing up to him and tapping his chin. "Shut up and dance. Just dance. Have fun. If _I_ can, then you can as well."

Her words were spoken so softly that the music almost drowned them. But he understood and sighed, not daring to throw another glance over at the bar. For quite some moments he was able to feel a particular pair of eyes on his back, but now this feeling was gone. Fortunately.

Uttering a sigh, he finally gave a small though kinda insecure chuckle and moved closer to her again. "Alright, then let me tell you how this really works."~

He realized he couldn't allow someone he pretty much knew nothing about to have this much control over him already. So he tried to focus on the thought that the plan was to have fun with his best friend.

So he would dance with her.

Keeping the chuckle, he took one of the female's hands and raised it before she lightly spun around until she faced him again and smiled what escalated into quiet laughter when both of them proceeded to make some wilder and untypical movements.

Twisting and turning, the amotsphere became lighter slowly but steadily.

Perhaps it had helped that the piercing gaze in his back disappeared. Or he just finally managed to ignore.

Now all that was left were the two of them, the crowded and heated hall and the sounding music.

Freed and Ever kept on dancing, and the man even took a shine to it after some time. Smiling at Ever, he took her hand once more and pulled her closer to her before he playfully moved his hips in rhythm with the music what at first looked a bit silly. Ever giggled but then took his other hand and dragged him further to the edge of the dancefloor. "Mira and Lisanna will arrive any minute! Let's wait at the bar!" The brunette almost had to yell due to the high sound volume.

Freed nodded and Ever let go of his hands. She turned with a smile still on her face and headed straightforward to the bar. The green-haired male at first didn't hesitate to follow her step, though then he froze. Was he still there?

Halting shortly he tried to glance over at the targeted counter to make out whether the blond was still present or not. Slyly focusing it out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the brunette woman he saw talking to his almost-date before already.

But there was no hint that the blond was still standing there as well.

 _Ah god, he was being dumb again!_ Shaking his head, Freed quickly followed his friend and finally came to stand beside her.

"I've already ordered a drink for us.", Ever winked and rested one of her elbows on the surface of the counter. "No saying no to alcohol today."

"Ever…"

"Nope!" Slinging her other arm around the male, she tugged him closer and smiled. "We are gonna have fun. Alcohol will help you loosen up even more." She lowered his voice. "And it is an easy way to distract yourself."

Freed still looked sceptcial. "I know…but it's not the most proper way."

"Freed, no one here cares if you are being proper or not. We are here to have fun and party. Alright? I like it proper too, but I learned that it really won't do any harm."

Man, at times he couldn't believe that this was Ever talking to him. She used to be so sad and reserved and now… It filled him with happiness. He was so truly happy that she seemed to live a better life now, and who could resist this smile anyway?

Sighing, Freed nodded. "Right. What did you order?"

Right on cue the brunette woman shoved two cocktails towards them with a grin. "For you. The Club's special mix. Enjoy." The waitress directed a wink at Freed and then at Ever before she was already shuffling away to a couple of men.

Freed raised a brow and eyed the drink for a moment, however then took the glass and raised it towards Ever's. "Well then. Cheers!"

"Let's drink to us!"

They did. Freed thought that the cocktail was indeed not bad, but he would still prefer his wine over anything else. Knowing that wine was not exactly an appropriate drink for such evenings however, he was more than happy to have this cocktail with admittedly exquisite taste.

It wasn't long after that Ever patted his shoulder and beckoned him to turn towards the entrance.

Two pretty much equal women came walked in. Both of them wore a similar smile and both had white hair. The only difference in this aspect was, that one had long and one rather short hair. Both were pretty, ocean blue eyes shining with glee as they approached and once Freed spotted them he couldn't help but give a small smile, too.

Taking the cocktail in his hand, he followed Evergreen who was already walking towards their friends and heartbeats later he got greeted with a cheerful 'Hey' from Mirajane and Lisanna. The owner of the café, Mira, pressed a quick peck on Freed's left and his right cheek before she went to hug Ever. Lisanna just gave him a cheeky smirk and hinted to go and ruffle his hair, but she didn't dare to actually do so before she hugged him quickly.

"Hey! Are you turning into a party animal now?", Lisanna teased and nudged the green-haired man with his elbow who just huffed but smiled. "Oh no. And I probably never will."

Chuckling at his response, Lisanna's features softened and she didn't hesitate to link arms with him, eyeing the drink in his hand. "Does it taste good?"

Freed nodded. "Very, I have to admit."

"Can I try it?"

"Go ahead.", he responded casually and handed her his drink.

Meanwhile, Mirajane was having a quite heated conversation with Evergreen. Freed wondered what they were so excited about, but perhaps…

Women issues.

At times he still didn't grasp what was going on in their heads. Then again he would never dare to claim that everything that was going on in his own mind was comprehensible and appropriate.

Shaking his head at the thought, Freed turned to Lis again and raised a brow. "And?" Though before Lisanna answered he could figure out the most possible reply by himself already.

She was happily nipping at the drinking straw, so Freed would guess that she did like it indeed.

"Yep! Can I keep it?"

"Oh please, get your own!", the greenet rolled his eyes though then shook his head and let a nod follow right after. "No, keep it."

Grinning, Lisanna poked his side as a thanks and then let go of him before she stepped over to Mirajane and Ever.

And Freed? Freed just kept standing on his spot and observed his three women chattering lively. A secret smile sneaked onto his features, and shaking his head once more he wondered. Ah man, what would he do without them?

xxx xxx

What was he even doing? Fleeing? Shit.

The man he had visited Café Strauss for for weeks, the man who gave him his number, the man he had avoided desperately for the last three days…Now he was here. At his club. And he was not prepared at all.

The last days granted him some time to think. Laxus figured that it was what he needed. Two days he had barely visited the club for some moments and then left again. Checked up on everything and then distracted himself and most of all, order his thoughts.

What did he want? Why had he visited the café for so long? And why did he suddenly feel confused and freaked out even when he finally came a step closer to the green-haired waiter? Laxus thought that he was aware of some answers now. Still, each factor of this situation was so…unfamiliar. Laxus despised the unknown.

Luckily he suspected – no, he _knew_ – that it wouldn't get easier. Not for now at least.

He had withdrawn from the bar after he'd just stared at the greenet and his female companion for some moments. Once he almost knocked his cocktail glass over and Cana threw another questioning glance at him, the blond had to escape. So what did he have to do now? What did he want to do now? How would the greenet act towards him?

Sighing, Laxus ran his fingers through his hair and let a frustrated growl follow. The short eye-contact…it was as if everything else stood still at this very moment. The turquoise eyes he knew were full of surprise… _shock_ , to be more precise. He himself must have looked as though he'd seen a ghost.

Goddammit, it so wasn't like him! Still, he made a decision. Watch cautiously and perhaps learn more.

So now, once he finished ordering some of the papers that were lying on the desk of his personal room, he had walked back to the bar and saw that by now Gray was attend again. He had a small grin on his countenance as per usual when he and Cana were chattering.

Good he had more than just one waitress. Cana was one hell of an amazing waitress but sometimes she got distracted easily.

"Gray.", he greeted brusquely and sat down on one of bar stools.

"Laxus." Gray turned once he heard the deep but familiar vox. Since Cana and Laxus had a fairly good bond, Gray had gotten to know hthe blond boss better as well and he was totally okay. At first he assumed that he was just some big, grumpy macho man. Turned out that it wasn't like this at all. "You alright man?"

"Yea, can't complain.", Laxus replied with a shrug. "You?" Just as he threw the question back at Gray the waiter stepped into his sight again. He hadn't noticed that they weren't on the dancefloor anymore but had moved more towards the entrance. Well, now he at least saw why.

Two white-haired ladies stepped up to the green-haired man. One greeted him with two pecks on his cheeks. He knew this woman. She was the owner of the café. And the other woman hugged him tightly.

Grimacing, Laxus turned away. Obviously he had overheard Gray's response since Cana's best friend was looking at him expectantly. "Sorry, was distracted. Cana, give me a beer please."

He saw how Cana and Gray exchanged a look but the brunette did as he wished without commenting something. Laxus merely scowled at them, assuming that they looked at each other like this because of his 'behavior'.

Thankfully though, Gray repeated his answer willingly after that and catered for some distraction.

"Glad to know that everything's alright I guess.", Laxus replied and nodded before he thanked Cana for the drink with another nod.

"Trouble's never welcome. Really hope it's gonna stay this way for your club. It's really gotten popular during this one months, congrats for that." Gray gave a smile, holding an ice cold cocktail in one of his hands.

This statement caused Laxus' expression to turn to a slightly smug one. He honestly was proud though. He always wanted to do his own thing, and now it finally seemed as if he had managed to organize something on his own. His own club. That was a big thing, wasn't it? "Yea, hope so, too." Swaying the bottle of beer in his hand, the blond man dared to let his gaze roam once more. This time however, there was no sign of the green-haired waiter.

Perhaps he was somewhere in the crowd.

His gaze wandered further, now focusing the secluded place where the couches were located. It was a quite typical place for couples. Or very very drunk people. Although they were probably better off on the restroom…

Snorting at his own train of thought, Laxus turned back with his features being slightly distorted. He shouldn't be glancing around so obviously.

If the greenet had figured out already that he was working here? That he was the boss of this club? Probably not. There weren't any signs for it, right? And why would it be important anyway…

"Oi, Laxy."

The voice caught him unawares. _Huh?_ When he turned his head back, his orange eyes stared into Cana's deep brown ones and at the first moment he blinked before a snort left his lips. "I told you that you should stop ca–"

"What are you lookin' for the entire time?" Cana interrupted him bluntly but quite casually. "Or should I say, _who_ are you lookin' for, huh?"

"What? Nothin'." Laxus gave another huff before he quickly added. "And no one."

"Ya sure are."

"Yea, and you know that because?" Glaring at her, the blond took a huge sip from his beer and rubbed his mouth with his fist afterwards. Had he been this obvious after all? When he looked aside he noticed that Gray was gone. Thankfully.

…wait no. If Gray was still here, Cana wouldn't be asking these things. Dammit.

"Why?", Cana arched up a brow barely able to suppress the smirk that threatened to curve her lips. She purposefully let another moment pass before she commented. "'cause you've been staring at that quite striking green-haired guy ever since he's entered the club."

Laxus almost choked. Cana noticed.

"You think I wouldn't noticed? Geez, Laxus.", Cana snickered but then shuffled away to serve a few guests, leaving Laxus with a dizzy mind.

Too dizzy for his liking. And the alcohol was not the reason.

Giving a low 'Tchz', the club's boss put down the half empty beer bottle and threw one last glance at Cana before he raised from the bar stool and headed towards the restrooms. Was there any chance that he would talk to Freed this evening? Would Freed possibly approach him? Or did he mess up?

At the moment all Laxus could think was that the latter was the case. Though then again… He wasn't able to forget this expression when their gazes met earlier. He had to use this chance.

But how…?

After entering the men's restroom and doing his business, Laxus went to wash his hands with a frown on his face. Casual glances got thrown over his shoulder and a couple of people got observed out of the corner of his eyes.

Since the incident with the drugs a few days ago he was a bit more careful, wanted to make sure that these guys didn't return even if he hardly believed that they would dare to do so.

Better for him. And for them.

Looking at the mirror over the sink Laxus looked at his reflection briefly before all of a sudden he saw flash of green in the background.

Immediately he tensed and his eyes widened for the spark of a second. At first he didn't want to turn around because he knew exactly that he was not sure what to do or say if… _he_ was in here now.

Man, he was acting like a fifteen year old! He was a full grown adult!

Growling and unconsciously running a hand through his hair, the blond finally turned around and instantly noticed that he didn't just see a ghost or someone else with green hair. _It was him._

Making sure that it didn't seem as if he was staring at him, Laxus glanced around shortly before he awkwardly cleared his throat. He didn't want it to seem as if he was doing this noise because of the greenet – even though he really only did it to catch his attention – so he fixed his orange eyes on the restroom floor striving for a neutral expression on his face.

And when the green-haired male noticed, the spark of shock flashed in his turquoise eyes once more.

Laxus saw how Freed's jaw almost dropped. He saw how a facade seemed to crumble for the briefest of moments and many thoughts were running over that handsome face. Saw how the man struggled in his movements.

And then he noticed how Freed wanted to turn around and probably leave. Shit!

He couldn't allow that! Sure, he could walk after him but that would look pathetic and he didn't want to run after anyone. Swallowing a hissing sound that threatened to slip between his lips, he made a step forward and glanced around one last time.

Luckily, they were almost alone. Still, if he could he would just shoo these two people.

Freed seemed to notice the movement and apparently wasn't sure what to do, to stay or to leave without another glance back.

But suddenly he halted, his back turned on Laxus who was left gazing at it and stood still again as well.

It felt like ages, ages of just standing there and merely staring at the back not exactly covered with green hair this time because the waiter wore a high pony tail today. Whenever he saw him wearing one Laxus silently had to admit to himself that it looked rather good on him.

Freed wasn't moving away. He seemed to be just as frozen on the spot as Laxus was, seemed to wait for something.

And that was when Laxus cleared his throat once more and got himself to open his mouth at last. Straightening his posture and turning his expression back into a serious one, hoping that his damn voice wouldn't fail him now, he uttered.

"Hey."

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 **That's it for chapter 4! If you haven't noticed, I plan on updating the fic on each Friday. I really hope I can keep it up like this! Comments and likes are appreciated as always, I hope you'll have a great weekend!**


	5. A second name and now a date

**Here is chapter 5! Have adorkable boys and some more porgress! Thank you for the follows and likes and the review! It encourages me a lot and I hope you'll keep enjoying this little story! _  
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 _"_ _Hey."_

It felt as if orange eyes were piercing his back for a second time this evening. Intense and burning through his clothes, reaching his skin and affecting his bumping heart even.

When Freed heard this voice, the voice he knew from listening to _his_ orders at the Café, the thanks and the goodbyes,…he had to swallow a gasp. He had heard this deep and complacent vox so often before but never in such a situation. Never in private. He wasn't at work, he was at a club and enjoying his free time.

This was what he wanted, wasn't it? This was what he had been waiting for. An approach. And wasn't this even better than just a message? Probably, but there was one problem…the direct contact made him even more nervous. He knew that when he turned around he would gaze into these electrifying orange eyes. It had never been a problem before, but ever since he gave the blond his number and name a few days ago he felt like things were going to change. Finally? …perhaps.

Taking a slow and hopefully soundless breath, Freed finally awoke from his rigidity. Slowly, almost cautiously as if he feared he could make a wrong movement, he turned and tried to desperately remember one of the conversations he had shared with Evergreen.

 _"_ _And if he approaches you, don't instantly fall for him and go all shy and blushy. I know you, Freed."_

 _Freed snorted, wondering what exactly Ever was trying to tell him. She was right, he would probably get bashful and nervous even though it was usually not his behavior. But it was the first time he thought he had found someone. Someone he was honestly interested in. And this scared and flustered him._

 _"So what should I do instead?", Freed huffed faintly glancing at her with anticipation._

 _"_ _Be the unapproachable, mysterious guy I know you can be.", she answered while brushing her curly hair. "I know you can do that."_

 _The…unapproachable guy?_

 _"_ _You could act a little stuck-up even. As long as it isn't too much and too much acted."_

 _Ever was right, he could do that. He'd been raised as a man of wealth, manners and power after all. He was supposed to be a man of high society but had chosen a different life. Yet, everything he got taught, was still somehow part of him and what he was._

 _"_ _So…you mean, I should play 'hard to get'? What you…mentioned once already?"_

 _"_ _It's worth a try. Don't let show how disappointed and sad you've been that he didn't message you. Don't give him too much power so early."_

Blinking but then shaking his head ever so lightly, Freed took one last slow breath before he raised his gaze and met the blond's eyes. He had a hard time not to just gaze at him for some more moments, but forced himself to stand straight and fall into his usual posture. Proud and determined.

When the returned and kinda awkward greeting left his lips, he tried to make it sound as unaffected and neutral as possible. Even though he absolutely wasn't able to judge whether it was convincing or not.

"Hey…uh…what was your name again?"

At least his tone seemed to surprise the blond male but Freed had to admit that he felt a little uncomfortable and wasn't certain at all if this was the right way to handle the situation. But Ever was the one with someone to date, and not him. His dates had always failed. Sure, it may very well be because he never really had enough interest in one of his dates, not enough to make him want more.

This time, though… Argh, he just didn't want to screw it up. With slightly quivering hands, he forced himself to keep up the almost painful eye-contact. He was too nervous.

"Uh…I didn't tell you yet." Awakening from his moment of surprise, Laxus briefly scratched the back of his head but then cleared his throat and nodded firmly. "Laxus. My name's Laxus."

"Ah…", Freed mumbled and felt his cheeks reddening more. _Laxus._

"Yea…" Man, could this be any more awkward? He didn't know what else to say and the fact that Freed seemed to be nervous but unconcerned and kinda uninterested on the other hand made him feel insecure. But he had seen his gaze! He was still interested! He was flustered! Or that was, what Laxus hoped dearly at least.

Fixing the sleeves of his dark green shirt, Freed nodded but then brought himself to reach out towards the taller man, offering his hand. "Well…it's a pleasure to officially meet you now…Laxus."

For a moment all Laxus did was to stare at his hand before he got what he wanted and awkwardly took it in one of his own, giving it a light shake. He had gotten used to shaking people's for business but to do it right now just somewhat…overwhelmed him. Felt weird. "Yea…", he replied once more and then withdrew the hand to cross his arms instead.

Then there was silence once more but despite the fact that both of them seemed to experience an awkward lack of words, neither of them left even though it was somewhat weird to stand in the club's restroom and…Well, what were they even trying to do?

"I still have yer number…" He would never admit it, but it took Laxus a lot of courage to be the one speaking up first again and addressing this issue. "I didn't message you yet 'cause I…" _Was nervous as hell? Am confused? Am overwhelmed? You're a guy and I', afraid I will really end up falling in love with you?_ "…Anyway, since you are here I though I could um…directly ask if ya would want to meet me…Ya know, like a…" _Date_. Both his sentences remained incomplete.

But Freed could figure out by himself, or guess at least. He had been kinda down when he didn't receive one single message, no sign that Laxus honestly appreciated that he gave him his number. Now he saw the blond acting different for the first time. He wasn't the tall, attractive and aloof guy that seemed to visit the café he worked at just for him.

He was still tall and still attractive as hell but not as aloof. Instead he was…a bit insecure even though Freed felt that Laxus didn't want to show it this much. He knew such situations all too well.

But as the blond asked him for a date his heart made a weird jump that almost left him dumbfounded once more. _A date with him!_ Yes, that was what he wanted. Inside his thoughts and heart were going crazy but Freed did his best to stay almost expressionless from the outside as he agreed.

"Yes, I…I would love to!"

But Freed was pretty sure that the crack in his voice gave him away.

Laxus scratched his head, rolling his broad shoulders and then gave a quiet click of his tongue. "Uh…" He had to stop stumbling over his own words! "Great." _Great? Really, Dreyar?_ The reply sounded fairly dry and the blond wanted to slap himself mentally but as he saw the ghost of a smile flashing over Freed's face, he blinked.

He really was happy about this, huh? Heh…

The loud music was breaking through even to the restrooms and as the song switched to something even wilder, Laxus cleared his throat and threw a quick glance at the two persons who finally left the room.

They glanced at them pretty awkwardly but Laxus just sent a glare their way and was done with it. Freed didn't seem to notice it at all. So was it only a facade after all? If so, the greenet didn't really manage to hold it up that well. At least not right now.

Somehow, that granted Laxus a feeling of more security. He wasn't the only one nervous about this. Perhaps Freed was just as confused as he was.

"So…ya want to meet at the café perhaps?", Laxus suggested casually and twitched his shoulders.

Freed blinked. The café? As in, the café he worked at? Considering that it was the place where they met the first time, and that he should probably thank Mira for having such a grand café, it wouldn't be such a bad idea…maybe…

Though then he immediately remembered that he would not be alone. No, Ever and Mira would surely be staring at them the entire time, perhaps even fluster him or ask Laxus weird questions! Nope, abort abort!

Shaking his head almost frantically, Freed spluttered out his reply. "Ah no, I-I don't think we should meet there, um…" He began to think. A date? What would be a good place to have a date at? "What about the Saber restaurant? You know it, I assume?" It wasn't far from the café actually and while its name could give off a false impression Freed couldn't deny that the food they served was superb. He liked going there on occasion, and it was the place he met Rogue for the first time.

"Saber restaurant, huh?" Laxus furrowed his brows, his gaze shortly swerving away from the other man. Yep, he knew that restaurant. He had been there before though only once or twice…The food was brilliant but the price level… Surely it would be something he could treat himself and maybe his friends to more often in the future if his club kept being this popular. Otherwise… too expensive. Scratching his throat before glancing back at Freed, Laxus settled for agreement. "Alright, why not. Saber restaurant then."

When Freed heard this answer he wanted to fill his own voice with utter glee. But he didn't want to be too obvious about how much he was looking forward to this! The convesation…was okay, right? Nothing too embarrassing happened, he didn't stutter too much and they finally had a…date!

Parting his lips to answer, the greenet then suddenly blinked and closed his mouth again. Right, they needed to decide something else before it was complete. So parting his lips once more, he slightly tilted his head. "When…do you have time?"

"When?", Laxus repeated and frowned. Immediately he thought that he would prefer a day on which Freed didn't have to work – he wanted to avoid stress which could distort the atmosphere of the situation perhaps so neither Tuesday nor Thursday or Saturday and Sunday were an option because these were Freed's usual work days. Although perhaps Sunday evening… Not that he would say this out loud, though. Hell no! He didn't want to look like some creep or stalker. He wasn't! He'd just been visiting the café in hope to learn more about the man who got him so confused and interested.

It was new and exciting and at the same time he needed and wanted to solve this issue.

Perhaps this…date was the next step. And perhaps Sunday evening was a good option after all… "What about Sunday evening? At eight? Would that be fine with you?"

"Sunday evening at the Saber restaurant?"

Laxus nodded.

Sunday! Two days until then only! Freed's greenish blue eyes had a happy gleam as he nodded but then he remember that he wanted to act unapproachable. Initially. So clearing his voice, he gave his verbal response. "Yes, this would be fine with me." Absolutely fine.

"Good."

And what now? Laxus still had his arms crossed. Feeling as the awkward silence threatened to return, the tall man stirred and shifted slightly. It was never this awkward when he tried to hit on women in the past and he knew why it was awkward this time.

"I um…", Freed then spoke and had his eyes averted. Laxus was glad that he broke the silence. Everything was better than this awkward quiet. "My friends must be wondering why I am away for so long.", the greenet explained and…

…did Laxus see his cheeks reddening? Just a little at least?

"…and I should return to them. They might become concerned and I am not a fan of them scurrying around me like worried Moms. Because all three of them can become like this quickly." Especially Mira. Freed gave a short snicker, then tugged at the rim of his dark green shirt. "So yes, I should head back to them."

"Ah sure." Laxus shrugged. Somehow he wanted to find out more about him right now but… They were still in his Club's restroom and he should probably save some topics for the date. Just to be sure. So he nodded firmly. "Alright."

"Alright.", Freed repeated and then sent a small smile Laxus' way. "See you on Sunday then, it seems."

"See ya on Sunday." The small smile had Laxus mesmerized for a moment, so much that he forgot to return it. Did he want to return it? Did he want to stay stoic? Ah, it didn't matter anymore anyway because Freed had already turned around to leave.

Again Laxus just gazed at the man's back, watching him head out of the restroom but before he stepped out of his side Freed halted and looked back over his shoulder.

With the same smile on his lips, he murmured. "Thank you for the invitation. I really am looking forward to it…Laxus."

And then he left the room.

xxx xxx

The smile. Freed was being honest, he was indeed looking forward to a date with him. A humble grumpy club manager.

Now that he was alone again, Laxus had time to actually process what just transpired. He had a date. With a man.

Sinking down on his chair in his private room, he stared blankly at the mass of papers. These would have to wait. He wanted to prepare for Sunday. He didn't know why but he really didn't want to mess anything up.

Freed participated of something proper and elegant. It filled Laxus with the need to make an especially good impression. He didn't know why. All he knew was the green-haired waiter with the name Freed Justine. Nothing more.

But that was finally going to change. _Finally?_ Laxus frowned and took one of the many papers in his hand but didn't eye it with much interest. He had not exactly been searching for someone to date. Too much was on his mind as that he could have concentrated on building a… romantic relationship with someone.

Albeit admittedly, he'd never have thought that his first proper date after months perhaps even years would be with a _man_ and he knew he still couldn't quite let this thought be. As if he couldn't believe it, as if he was sure that this was just a phase.

Nonetheless, he was looking forward to this date, too.

Man, all of this was confusing shit but who knows…perhaps it was good confusing shit after all.

Shaking his head and putting back the paper on the pile, Laxus stood up and stretched himself before taking a look in the tiny mirror and then walking off to check the situation at the main hall.

xxx xxx

"Where have you been?!"

"Restroom.", Freed replied shortly and certainly didn't like three pairs of eyes glancing at him as if they knew that something else happened.

Now that he realized the situation he was a bit embarrassed. Restroom, right. Yet he still didn't do what he wanted to do. To secretly check his looks for his small vain side of him and well…why does one usually go to the restroom? Right.

"And?" Ever didn't let up. She could sense that something else transpired during Freed's absence and she was sure that Mirajane and Lisanna were just as curious as she was.

When she suddenly saw a tall blond man coming out of the direction Freed had appeared from moments before, she had a new guess. Freed, noticing the change in Ever's expression, frowned and turned around to see what had possibly caused this alteration…and then he saw Laxus vanishing behind the next corner.

Blushing furiously and being quite glad that his red cheeks wouldn't be so obvious in the fairly dark hall lightened by neon lights, Freed felt the need to explain himself immediately. "I-It's not what you think!"

He regretted his frantic stutter right after.

"How do you know what I think?", Ever giggled but the nudged his side with her elbow gently. "You talked to him?"

Could these three please stop staring and grinning at him like this! "….y-yea…", he admitted and scratched his cheek almost wincing when Mirajane and Lisanna gave a joyful squeal. "Do you have a date?!", Mirajane inquired and then sipped the drink she was enjoying.

"Y-Yes…", Freed muttered but finally showed a small smile.

"When?"

"Where?"

"Does he smell good?"

"Ladies!", Freed laughed helplessly and blushed more. Oh yes, how damn glad he was to be in this club hall right now.

"You need to tell us everything.", Mira insisted and exchanged a happy look with her sister and Evergreen.

Freed would tell them everything… at some point. But this really wasn't the place to tell anything. Not with all these people around, not with the possibility of Laxus showing up again, not when alcohol was involved no matter in what way or how intense. Besides, there was not much to tell yet.

He was happy. Truly happy about this opportunity, sincerely happy like he had never really been before about a date, and he didn't want to mess it up! Exhaling quietly, he shortly glanced at Lisanna. "Did you drink up my cocktail?"

"Yep.", she beamed but then fell into a frown. "Is that okay?"

Freed chuckled and nodded. "Of course it is. I said you could keep it after all. Do you need another one?"

"Why are you asking?"

Not replying immediately, Freed reached for the portemonnaie in his trouser pocket. Lisanna watched him blinking while Ever and Mira seemed to be busy chattering again.

A moment later he pulled out a bank bill and handed it to the white-haired female, smiling. "Take this and spend it on whatever drinks you three want. Some cocktails are fairly expensive." He wouldn't accept objections.

Blinking again, Lisanna suddenly pouted and glanced at the money he thrust into her hand. "You are leaving?"

Sighing and giving her a quite apologtic smile, he nodded. "I need some time for myself now.", he confessed. Processing what just happened. He was nervous already even though it was only Friday night.

And he still needed to go to the toilet.

"But…", he glanced around before leaning a bit closer and whispering. "…please do me a favor. Tell the brunette barmaid that she should give the tall blond man with the scar across his right eye a drink. I pay. And I assume that she knows who is meant since I saw her talking to him. She will remember. And tell her she should send him my compliments. From Freed Justine."

Slowly, Lisanna's lips fromed a silly grin while she listened but then she agreed quickly and nodded enthusiastically. "I will. And thanks.", she smiled and then leaned in to give him a cuddly hug.

After returning the hug lightly, Freed proceeded to let Ever and Mira know. At first neither of them wanted to just let him leave, however after some more moments of convincement they gave in and wished him a good night.

"Be careful on your way home, Freed!, Ever hugged him before Mira followed with the same gesture. "Hear from you in the morning, yes?"

"Sure.", Freed promised and sent one last smile their way before he headed outside not looking back once more.

Wow, this day had truly been a rollercoaster of feelings. Not that he wasn't used to some weird and abrupt mood switches but this was so very different.

Standing outside and glancing up at the clear summer night sky, Freed smiled. "Huh…" If everything that followed would go just as well then he truly had some luck for once. He didn't want to go so far as to say that he fell in love… but he sure as hell had a crush on Laxus.

Laxus Dreyar.

With the wings of night unfurled above him Freed began to walk home at last, an ever so slight smile constantly playing on his features and a feeling he hadn't felt in ages accompanying him.

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 **Also I would welcome opinions of the length of the chapters? Is it too short or alright for a weekly update? Anyway, thank you so much for reading!**


	6. The car accident

**Chapter 6 wheee! I had some trouble with my writing programm and it wouldn't open the document but fortunately I found a way to solve the programm, so here is the next chapter! I had lots of fun writing Laxus and Bix, ahh love this brotp like every Raijin brotp.**

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"Well, then Cana gave me a drink saying that she got told to buy me one by a certain Freed Justine." Laxus shrugged as he let his gaze run over the grocery list. Despite him seeming to be rather calm and collected about this he had felt a bit flustered but weirdly happy when Cana handed him the cocktail with one of her widest grins.

"Dude, he bought you a drink?" Bixlow was lying on Laxus' couch, legs dangling over the edge of the furniture's backrest while his head touched the floor, upside down. Hey, it was comfortable. For him at least. " _Daring_."

The blond huffed and glanced over at the man he knew for a few years now. "Don't be sassy with me, Bixlow."

But the man merely cackled and crossed his arms. He had a new reason to tease his best friend and there was no way he would let this chance slip! "No kiss, huh? No steamy 'nd quick make out 'cause 'you discovered you are soul mates and after all these months you finally found each other'? _Ouch_!"

When he got a pen thrown against his head Bixlow slid off the couch completely and shifted so now he was leaning with his back against it, sitting on the floor and rubbing his head. "That hurt, man!"

"The fuck were you expectin' anyway?" With a gruff huff Laxus leaned back in his chair and scowled at the other. Honestly, sometimes he just wanted to throw him right out of his window. Not like he wasn't used to Bixlow's nature and behavior but…damn. A kiss? Making out? …No way.

"Well not that!", Bixlow protested and pointed at him." Fine, no kiss! A drink's fine, wow, a drink's fancy!"

Laxus' glare intensified.

"Hey, I'm being serious Laxy! It was hard enough to get ya two to talk anyway, so that's great progress, yea yea."

Laxus was still glaring.

"Hey man, stop that now! What more do you want?", Bixlow whined and threw his hands up in the air but Laxus was still glaring.

"…shut up.", the blond then finally growled and gestured towards him. "But give me back my pen."

Oh he thought it was that easy, huh? "Throwing the pen at me and then casually demanding it back? That's not how it works, baby, ya gotta move and get it back yerself." Bixlow gave a snort though a moment later he was already grinning again.

This damn nerd! "Bix really, give it back."

"I trade it for more information on your d-a-t-e. 's that a deal?"

"No." Laxus didn't stop glaring at his friend but the other didn't give in. "Dammit Bixlow! What even do ya want to know? Ya know most of the things already.", he sighed in frustration.

"Like what?"

"He works at the café, his name is Freed Justine, he's the guy with the eye-catchin' long green hair and the interesting aura, he has a beauty mark beneath his left eye, he's handsome yea and–"

"Ya still totally wanna smooch him."

"Fuck you!" He didn't want to smooch a guy…! But then again… he had this date, he was looking forward to this date and…Fuck, he had a freaking date!

Cackling some more Bixlow finally threw the pen back and stood up to walk over to his blond friend, ruffling his hair wildly. "Hey, I'm glad ya found someone you're interested in." Really, Laxus was in dire need of someone he could love and most of all someone who loved him unconditionally. Things hadn't been easy for the club manager and all he wanted for his best friend was for his life to finally be less fucked up and more in order.

"I guess…yea…", Laxus shrugged with the pen he caught in his hand. He was interested and he was not going to ignore it. Well, it kinda turned out to be impossible anyway since it was confusing as fuck to him.

Stretching himself and then letting the pen drop to the table Laxus stood up and walked to his kitchen. "Ya want coffee, too?", he inquired not looking back.

"Yep!", Bixlow replied immediately but didn't follow. Instead he let himself flop down on Laxus' couch once more, this time sitting more or less properly on it though, and casually turned on the TV as if he was home. Well he was, kind of. Bixlow was allowed to come and leave whenever he wanted. Laxus' apartment was small but it was just enough for two persons. He knew Bixlow for so long, he didn't care that his home was Bixlow's second home sort of.

Unless he really really needed his privatsphere.

Despite his best friend's teasing nature and his tendency to annoy him easily, he was understanding and a good friend, really.

"Sugar?", Laxus shouted from his little kitchen after some moments and left his own coffee how it was. Black and strong.

"Yes a bit.", Bix shouted back and kicked his feet up lying on the couch now while he watched the news. Magnolia was a rather quiet town, the weather was great for the most part of the year and not too many idiots or even criminals found their way to this town.

Apparently still more than enough idiots, however.

"Looks like the cops are searchin' for two drug dealers."

Hearing this made Laxus start to listen attentively. _Drug dealers?_ They couldn't be speaking of the two young men he caught at his own club, right?

Taking the two cups of coffee the blond walked back to his cozy living room and placed his own cup on the small table while handing the other cup to his friend. "Drug dealers?", he frowned and shifted his gaze to the TV.

How annoying. Most of them got caught anyway and Magnolia really wasn't a good town to accomplish one's dirty business. Laxus honestly wondered why people were still dumb enough to try such stupid stuff.

"Looks like they could escape somehow." Sipping from his coffee and leaving a contented hum at the taste, Bixlow sighed and glanced over to the blond who was still standing next to the couch and gazing at the TV. "Ya think they're the two ya caught?"

"Dunno." Laxus gave a growl and took a sip from his coffee as well, shortly after grimacing. "Maybe I should've punched them harder."

"Nah, think that wouldn't have been a good move, baby.", Bixlow snickered before shifting his gaze back to its previous focus. "Don't want ya to get arrested as well, huh?"

"Tchz, _wusses_. If they are stupid think they could just deal with drugs then they should at least expect something like that."

"There'll always be idiots like that, Lax. 'nd don't get me wrong but drugs can easily seem temptin' for some, believe me.", Bixlow added cautiously but this time kept gazing at the TV.

Laxus didn't say anything. What Bixlow said might be true but that didn't mean that drugs were something good or something to solve a problem with. If anything, it was the wrong way to choose and he knew that his friend had some bad experiences with the crime scene.

Not exactly because he wanted to… and Laxus never judged him for it but rather supported him and helped him to let this time go. It was a good decision to leave the home Bixlow got born into. A circus family.

And knowing that the one year younger man was finally not only chasing his dream but working on fulfilling it was very reassuring.

Laxus never thought he would ever have a best friend…or fall in love. Hell, he'd always expected the worst but fate seemed to be kind to him, finally. If there was something like that - _fate_.

"Hey ya wanna help me with the grocery shopping?" He was not lazy. This had nothing to do with laziness or that he didn't manage it on his own, hell no that would be embarrassing! But Laxus still wasn't exactly a big fan doing the chores, going grocery shopping and all that stuff. "Or do ya wanna go work?"

"Mmh…" Bixlow bobbed his foot up and down and swayed the TV's remote. Laxus could already tell that he was going to make some idiotic comment or remark. This is how it always was. "Yea, I can come with ya.", he agreed and got Laxus suspicios. This could impossibly be all.

"…if I can have a bar of that my favorite chocolate so I can take it with me to work."~

Alright, Laxus could live with that.

Rolling his eyes he walked over to the table where he put down the grocery list. As he looked it over he noticed that he had barely written down anything yet, so he sat down and sighed. Wow man, he needed to fucking focus again. "Fine, ya get yer chocolate.", he snorted wearing a pretty unfazed expression.

"Great. You're the best.", Bixlow cackled still swaying the remote. "When do ya wanna go?"

"Once I'm ready."

"Well perhaps ya should actually focus on yer grocery list than on _something_ else."

"I'm focusing, stop bein' a damn brat or ya won't get yer chocolate."

"Awww…"

"Yea, I'm serious." The blond threw a quick glance at his friend but he wasn't looking anyway.

"'course ya are. Okay alright, maybe I can finish watching the news. You'll be done until then, right?"

"Sure.", Laxus huffed and began writing a few things down. Luckily he didn't need all too much. Though he also would have to check the Donnerhall's storage state later. Good thing he actually liked managing the club more than he liked managing his own little household. But it was fine.

After some time the blond man put the pen down and looked his small list over one last time before he climbed to his feet, the list in his right hand.

Noticing the movement out of the corner of his eyes, the seith mage glanced over briefly before he jumped up and smirked. "Ready? Let's go gettin' ma chocolate." He'd been silent for the last moments, just quietly watching the rest of the news. Still, Laxus finished faster than he had expected him to - his blond friend really seemed a bit thrown off his track the last days, and of course Bixlow was perfectly aware of why that was the case. Honestly, he could hardly blame him. He was confused and insecure and Laxus despised both of these feelings.

On the other hand he noticed as well that he was happy about what was happening even though the happiness was still only a small spark as the other confusing feelings were overwhelming him. Bixlow prayed that everything would turn out well in the end.

Just as he wanted to turn of the TV, a picture of an all too familiar street got displayed.

Bixlow sank back against on couch. "Hey Laxus, isn't this the street of your club?"

"Huh?" Laxus frowned and walked over. News about his club?

"Looks like an accident happened last night." Bixlow frowned. "Near yer club, a car left the road and crashed into a man."

Laxus blinked. So no bad news about his club. No good ones either, though. An accident, huh? Knitting his brows he fixed his gaze on the TV and listened.

Many drunk people went home after the visit in his club. It was good that usually the street wasn't too used. That meant less danger for the people. But this time it didn't seem to be a drunk person's fault anyway. Whether the car left the road on accident or not, he didn't know. He was just relieved that _wait_.

Blinking several times, Laxus looked at Bixlow. "Did they say how late the accident happened?"

"Around midnight I think, why?"

Around midnight… _Around midnight_. Laxus' eyes widened. This couldn't be possible, right?He must simply be overthinking things now! Hell, why did he even think it could be possible?

"Fuck…", the blond brought his hands up to his face trying to keep himself from allowing horrible images to chase through his mind. Nonsense!

"Lax, everythin' okay?" Bixlow looked at him with a slightly concerned expression after he turned off the TV.

"Yea.", the blond responded and pulled his hands away from his face. But what if? Why was he this concerned now anyway? "Oi, they didn't say how the man looked right?"

"No." What was his friend so worried about all of a sudden? But after some more heartbeats of thinking, Bixlow's jaw dropped lightly. This made sense, then again it didn't. "Ya aren't thinking that this man was–", but he interrupted himself as he saw that Laxus walked away to the table and grabbed his phone.

Laxus' voice was back to normal as he spoke, but Bixlow could tell what he was doing right now. "Gimme a second, then we can go–"

xxx xxx

Mirajane looked up from her place at the counter as she heard the door opening with a quick rush. A smile got to blossom on her lips quickly as she spotted who decided to stop by even if it wasn't her work time. But the smile shattered and got replaced by a confused and slightly worried expression as fast as the smile had appeared one heartbeat before.

"Mira!" Ever shouted once she set foot in the café, not caring about the confused looks she got from some customers. "Mira, someone had an accident yesterday!" Halting in front of the counter the woman brushed some curly strands of her out of her face. She looked absolutely upset, though her expression was not free from confusion either.

Exhaling, Evergreen didn't give Mirajane a chance to ask but continued already. "It happened around the time Freed left the club yesterday and I just went to look if he is at home and if he is alright because we didn't message anymore after he left and–"

"Ever-", Mira's face cleared up as she heard the woman talk. A small reassuring smile crawled back onto her countenance as she reached forward to place her hands on Evergreen's in an attempt to calm her. The woman was quite obviously worried about her best friend and Ever only became this upset if she feared that something might have happened to her loved ones.

"-and he wasn't at home and now I'm afraid that-"

"Ever, hey.", Mira raised her voice just a little, enough to finally get the brunette's attention. Ever gave a tiny glare but then exhaled once more and let worry take over her features completely. "Ever, what day is today?"

Evergreen took a slow breath, then slowly raised a brow. "Saturday, of course."

"And do you remember who of the people you are close with usually has shift on Saturdays, beside me?"

Then the brunette blinked. Next up her lips parted and her eyes widened. And at last she adjusted her glasses, her face turning a mild red. Sure, how on earth could she forget about this?! It was just too much of a coincidence! The same time, a man, the same location - it was not impossible, right? Though before she could give her answer a man with long green hair appeared, coming out of the room behind the counter and wearing a suspiciously bright smile.

"Freed!" Ever forgot to answer, it wasn't necessary anyway, right? Instead she sighed in relief and Mira let go of her hands, shaking her head.

"Oh, Ever!", Freed looked up from his phone before putting it away and stepping to Mirajane's side. "What brings you here on your free day?"

"You jerk didn't message me!", Ever grumbled and almost stormed behind the counter joining the other two where she hit the man's chest. "I was worried!"

Freed blinked and huffed at the gentle hit. His brows furrowed in wonder. "I wasn't supposed to message you, was I? Why were you worried?"

Mira smiled and answered in Ever's place. "She thought you had an accident."

"An accident?", Freed questioned.

"Yes, apparently an accident transpired last night. So Ever was worried and even more so when she didn't find you at home because she forgot that you have work today."

Ever wanted to protest, but Freed already spoke again. "Oh no, I'm perfectly fine." He smiled brightly. It immediately got Evergreen suspicious.

As one of the customers waved towards the counter to pay, Mira smiled and answered with a 'Coming!' before she exchanged a glance with the brunette and then went to hand the customer the account and let him pay.

In the meantime Ever placed her hands on her own hips and observed how Freed walked to the few cabinets behind the counter and fetched some things. She could hear him humming softly to himself and the smile only vanished as she cleared her throat and asked. "What put you in such a good mood, Freed? Is it because of yesterday still? Because of tomorrow? Both?" Not that she minded seeing him being this cheerful. Oh not at all! Besides, she was also glad that she had just been overthinking things and the accident didn't have to do anything with her best friend. But she needed to know why he was wearing this nearly silly happy smile. "So?"

Turning his head to the brunette woman and looking her over briefly, the greenet cleared his throat as well and brushed his bangs aside. Obviously just a gesture either out of habit or embarrassment because the strands of hair fell right back in front of his face but Freed didn't seem to care.

Voice low, he replied. "He messaged me." God, he felt like a lovestruck teenager! Acting like this because of a message, jesus… But it really did make him happy as he saw the message on his phone's display.

"He?", Ever raised a brow. "As in, the tall blond guy?"

"Yes. Laxus." Freed's cheeks turned a faint red, albeit the smile was back in its previous place. The man he had a date with tomorrow.

It didn't take long until Evergreen dropped the kinda strict expression. Instead she smirked _that_ smirk and shuffled closer. But before she could even ask, someone else took the words right out of her mouth

"Really?! What did he write?!", Mirajane casually inquired as she arrived back on the scene. Coincidentally, exactly at the precise moment. _Coincidentally_.

Freed blinked, suddenly encircled by the two most curious women he knew ( apart from Lisanna perhaps ). Both, Ever and Mira, were practically hanging on his shoulders and for a moment his mouth opened and closed without leaving one single sound. After exhaling in defeat however, he chuckled. "Just a greeting and he asked if I am alright.", he paused, the chuckle growing out to a new smile. "But he is going grocery shopping now."

"That's all?", the two women asked in unison.

"Y-Yes, but…" It was all he needed. His heart had made one of these strange jumps as he read the messages.

"So he asked if you are alright?" Ever suddenly frowned. Could it be…?

"Yes, why?" Freed glanced at her, Mira as well. Was there something bad about it? Nonsense.

Could it be…? Could it be the blond guy was worried for the same reason she had been moments ago still? Ever shrugged, then stepped away and fetched a glass for herself to drink some water. "Nothing. It's a good sign that he wrote you, Freed. I'm happy for you." She glanced at her shortly, offering a smile. "And I'm glad you're alright, too. _Jesus_ , message me the next time!"

Freed blinked, briefly looking back as Mirajane stepped away from him as well, before he crossed his arms and snorted. "It was not my fault. Why didn't you try to message me anyway?"

 _Bam._ Ever stared. She didn't… She didn't try to message him. He was right. Damn, she had really been worried! And stupid! And she knew she had lost the coming little bickering already but she was Evergreen!

Puffing out her cheeks, her hands flew to her hips one more time. "Excuse me, you said we will hear from you in the morning!"

"I said that to Mira! Because I have work today, obviously. Something you apparently forgot about as well!"

Mirajane, cleaning some glasses, giggled quietly to herself. She was used to these two arguing like this and actually she didn't mind. As long as it was just bickering it meant that everything was alright with them.

So she was contented, and admittedly a little entertained as well. Every time.

* * *

 **Also, I would be grateful if you tell me what you think about the length of the chapters. Too short? Good? D: Anyway, thank you for reading my ff!**


	7. Nervousness and unexpected information

When Freed went to bed this night he found himself being nervous. He hadn't felt like this for quite some time, and it didn't help that he absolutely disliked this feeling. He tried to tell himself that the reason for his nervousness was an entirely positive one, though he noticed pretty quickly that it didn't help much.

So now he grabbed a book and snuggled into his warm blanket, leaning against the backrest of his quite large bed. His bedside light allowed him to read, and he hoped that it would calm him enough so that he would be able to fall asleep. He despised feeling groggy when going to work and to avoid this happening he simply tried to get enough sleep every night.

Throwing a quick glance at his alarm clock Freed saw that it was around about eleven. In less than one hour it would be Sunday. In less than seven hours he would get up and then soon head to the Café. Perhaps it was good that he got some distraction before going to his date. Well, he hoped at least that the distraction would work.

Though actually, and he should probably be honest with himself, he knew already that the nervousness would not have vanished in the morning. Chances are that it was going to increase with every minute that passed by.

Sighing with the book in his hands, the greenet realized that he was not able to concentrate properly. Or perhaps he simply didn't want to. All that was on his mind was a person. An attractive tall man with blond hair, a mysterious scar crossing his right eye, the electrifying orange color of his eyes… Freed still couldn't claim at all that he knows him. But there was something about this man that made him feel as if they had talked properly more than just this one time at the Donnerhall Club. That he was more than the regular costumer at the café he worked at.

Love at the first sight? Ridiculous! No…there was more about it but Freed couldn't say what it was.

As organized and well-ordered as he was ( what certainly wasn't always an advantage ) he had already picked the clothes he would wear later. He would never admit that it took quite some time and funnily enough the outfit he chose in the end didn't differ a lot from his usual one. Why did he make such a fuss about this date? It wasn't like he had never been on one before after all!

After a some more unsuccessful attempts to read the crime novel he had started to read two days ago ( one of his favorite genres ) Freed gave up and put the item away on his bedside cabinet. With another quiet sigh leaving his lips he slid down into a lying position and turned onto his side, gaze directed at his wardrobe. He probably wouldn't be able to sleep just yet, but it wouldn't hurt to try right? There was nothing else he could possibly do anyway.

So he frowned for a moment before turning off the light and curling into his blanket.

xxx xxx

Laxus awoke with a groan of annoyance. Face planted against his pillow, the man blindly waved his hand reaching for the item that woke him up. Goddammit, who the hell was calling him at this hour! It was around eight in the morning maybe, he fucking wanted to sleep longer than that!

Grumbling in frustration and anger the blond man looked up as he finally found his phone and almost slammed it against his ear as he accepted the call. Before he could snarl an annoyed comment however, another voice yelled into his ear. Holy fucking jesus christ! God be with this guy who dared to call and then shout at him this early!

 _"_ _HEY MAN, YA READY FOR YA DATE? NYAHAHA!"_

"No and I will fucking kill ya for waking me up this early in the fucking morning, Bixlow.", Laxus growled with his eyes barely open before he casually ended the call and let his phone drop on the floor carelessly. Goddammit. Now he most likely wouldn't be able to sleep anymore!

Perhaps he would just try…or get up and make breakfast, listen to the news and then do some sport.

Before he could think further another sound rang and Laxus bet that he knew who it was. At first he didn't even plan to look but then he fished the item from the floor anyway and scowled at the display. One new message.

After opening it he was sure that he could hear his best friend cackling in the background.

 _{text}: R00D, man, RUDE!_

Laxus didn't bother to reply to Bixlow's message. Later again but not right now. What a way to start the morning. He wanted to be relaxed for certain reasons. No, instead he got woken up by the annoying sound of his ringing phone. He should have expected it, should have muted the phone.

But now he was awake.

Laxus threw a glance at his clock and saw that it was indeed almost eight. Twelve hours to go.

Sighing he rolled onto his back, blanket tangled around him and the morning sun shining brightly into his room. Nope, there was no way he could fall asleep again. Not now once he was awake and didn't feel too tired.

"Thanks, asshole.", he muttered grouchily and silently swore himself that Bixlow would pay for this later. But not today.

Sitting up Laxus ruffled his blond hair and stretched himself, stiffling a yawn that threatened to part his lips. Fine, then no more sleep but breakfast. He really really didn't feel like getting up already though now he shifted and climbed out of his bed. Bare-chested, hair a little messed up and only wearing his boxer shorts he walked out of his bedroom and stomped straight to the kitchen where he turned the radio on. For now, while preparing his breakfast, he would just listen to music. He loved music, it was an important part of his life.

Usually his breakfast wasn't something special. He was not good when it got around working in the kitchen. Not that he was horrible but he certainly wasn't all too talented either. Cooking eggs however, that was something he managed. By now.

He was still kinda pissed off because of Bixlow's call. Why was that fucking necessary? His phone got banned to one corner of his bedroom for the time being. Like hell would he allow someone else to bother him. Though then again, there was no one he knew who dared to call and yell at him while he was still in bed.

Only Bixlow. Perhaps, Cana…but yea, Bixlow.

While frying two eggs in the pan, Laxus steadily listened to the radio. The music managed to soothe his nerves and distract him from his previous annoyance so that it decreased with each moment that passed. He never sang along and barely hummed. Even though at times, if he was in an outstandingly good mood, then he would though still only if he was alone.

Casually taking a slice of ham out of the fridge and stuffing it into his mouth to eat it, the blond man proceeded to take out a plate and fetched a banana. He was a sucker for bread, he ate a ton of it, but he liked to have a piece of fruit as well and bananas were perfect.

After some brief moments the eggs were ready and so was the small table he prepared for himself. Lots of bread, exactly for his liking, the banana, a cup of strong coffee, cheese and ham and the eggs. The radio was still playing as he sat down with an exhale and stretched himself once more before he began to eat.

Laxus was used to eating breakfast alone. Admittedly he felt a bit lonely at times even though he always pushed this feeling away whenever it managed to surface. But it was okay. It had been like this for quite a long time. Sometimes his grandpa would be with him now that they were getting along pretty well again. But there had been plenty of times he had been all on his own, only had Bixlow and no one of his family really.

But he knew he lived in the present, not in the past. Laxus hated getting very emotional so he just told himself to pull himself together when he noticed that a feeling was taking over his actions or thoughts.

The music ceased to play as it was the morning news' turn. The presenter told about the accident again and that the man who got injured was in the hospital now. Laxus had been weirdly glad as Freed answered his message yesterday. He had honestly feared that the green-haired waiter could be this man so he texted him. Fortunately there was nothing to worry about and it felt a bit awkward texting the other like this, though in the end it was worth it.

Oh hopefully the date wouldn't be awkward.

Breakfast never took long. Laxus ate a lot but he also ate quite fast so it didn't take up much time of his morning routine.

Sipping on his black coffee as he leaned back in his chair, still paying attention to the news, the blond suddenly choked on the warm liquid and straightened up. _What? Did he hear correctly?_

Laxus was staring at his radio now just as if he could actually see someone in there but he focused on one certain name. He must have misheard! This surname was certainly not a common one, he had never heard it before he got to know Freed. Or he simply didn't pay attention to it.

Eyes were narrowed to slits, his hand holding the cup gripped tightly. Then his eyes widened again and he put the cup down on the table.

 _Evangeline Justine? Fencing champion?_

Did Freed have a sister? Could it possibly be his mother? His cousin? Aunt? Or they were not related at all. Laxus listened some more before he raised from his seat and turned the radio off as he started to clean the table. It was one of the moments he realized how little he new about the greenet waiter. He would ask him about Evangeline Justine later. Hey, another topic to talk about was good, right? He just hoped he wouldn't make a gaffe with that.

What even did he know about this man? Laxus frowned as he headed towards the bathroom to take a shower and brush his teeth. He listed some things as Bixlow asked the day before but he'd mostly been talking about Freed's appearance. There wasn't really anything else he knew aside from the fact that he worked at Café Strauss.

Then again, he thought, it was just the same for Freed. He probably didn't know anything about him. Possibly Laxus knew a tad bit more about Freed than Freed knew about him even?

Giving a low grumble the blond looked at himself in the small mirror above the sink once he was ready showering. They would get to now more about each other now, and that was good.

Moments later he was shuffling lazily into his bedroom, a towel messily wrapped around his waist. He was alone so he didn't care much. Why should he anyways?

A snort echoed as he picked up his phone from the floor. Looking at the display as he unlocked it, Laxus saw that Bixlow didn't try to call him a second time. Although he sent him some messages… _too many_.

The blond man muttered something under his breath. He almost wanted to just throw his phone back into the corner but then he decided to place it on his bedside cabinet as long as he was in the room to get dressed.

When he opened his closet he suddenly realized that he didn't know what to wear for his date. He never spent much thought on his attire, as long as he didn't look like an idiot it was absolutely fine. He preferred casual clothes and was a sucker for fur coats although he didn't wear his favorite coat very often anymore these days.

As club manager he needed to arrange himself at least one suit even though he still didn't wear it too often, seldom if ever actually. But Freed seemed to be the type who took care of his outward appearance a lot - too much perhaps, but he didn't want to judge about this yet. Laxus didn't want to make a bad impression. So maybe he should wear something different tonight…though on the other hand he disliked the thought of changing himself just for someone else.

Then again, was it really that he changed himself for Freed just because he wanted to look more special for this date? Giving a grunt, Laxus reached forward to grab jogging pants and a casual shirt for the time being.

After slipping all the garments on the blond shuffled back to his living room and threw himself on the couch, switching on the TV. What he needed and wanted right now was some relaxation.

xxx xxx

Freed stood behind the counter of the Café's bar, brewing coffee and preparing a strawberry milkshake ordered by one of the customers.

He had figured that he would be nervous before this special date. He had lots of faith in this attempt for some reason he wasn't able to figure out yet. Laxus was captivating and he had been a fool, should have approached him way earlier. Instead he'd kept telling himself that he was just deceiving himself…until the day he finally gave Laxus his number.

Brushing his green bangs out of his face he was almost so surprised to hear a voice all of a sudden that he flinched back and knocked over a cup of coffee. _Almost._ Alright, being distracted and concentrating on work was a plus - but being distracted and absorbed in other thoughts instead was definitely not good. Freed made a mental note of this.

Running his fingers through his bangs once more he then glanced up just to look into a grinning face he knew…but then again didn't. He'd seen this man before but as far as he remembered he never talked to him before.

The man had blue hair, sides shaved and a toothy grin plastered on his visage. Freed attempted to put all the pieces together and then he realized with slight shock that he had seen him together with Laxus before.

Now said male was sitting on one of the bar stools right in front of the counter. Mira set great value upon a good connection with the customers so she insisted on having bar stools right in front of the counter so she could even chat with them as they wanted to. It wasn't rare that lone guests headed here and they seemed to appreciate a nice chat in fact.

Freed was pretty much just gazing at the man.

"Freed Justine, right?" The grin never vanished.

"Y es?"

"I'd like ta have a cocoa with extra cream, please.", he ordered and acted as if it was nothing that he knew his full name. Bixlow noticed that Freed realized who he was. The greenet just nodded politely however and responded with a 'coming up' before he grabbed a tray with two cups of a coffee and a milkshake on it.

Bixlow watched how he went off to serve the three drinks to two different tables, the green pony tail swaying ever so lightly with his almost elegant way of walking.

As Freed returned he immediately saw about the cocoa which wouldn't take all too long. He felt the other man's gaze resting on him constantly and it did make him sort of uncomfortable. That the other knew his full name though was the proof that he must indeed be the one friend he'd seen with Laxus before.

"So ya are dating Laxy tonight, huh?"

Bixlow's question made Freed freeze for a moment before he continued his business almost frantically. It only caused the other man to laugh briefly. "No needa be nervous, baby."

"I'm not nervous.", Freed retorted instantly and threw a sharp look at the man. Just as he wanted to shove the cocoa towards Bixlow he remembered that he wanted extra cream - so he quickly shook his head and added it. Damn, he was nervous! Everything had been less uncomfortable when the other man wasn't here and grinning at him though. "And please refrain from calling me like this."

Bixlow just shrugged with a snickering noise, taking the cocoa with a thankful nod. "Sure, Mister Justine."

Freed rolled his eyes without noticing, still refusing to directly look at the other. He didn't even know him! What was this guy thinking?!

"Believe me, he's nervous, too. Just not gonna admit it.", Bixlow chuckled, his grin finally softening. He drank a bit from the cocoa and gave a contented sigh, then rubbed his fist over his mouth to wipe away some cream. "He has his own way of doin' things. Can be a lil awkward with this date thing and all and he's probably gonna do anything to seem confident."

 _'_ _Just like me…'_ , Freed thought as he listened to the three main points the other man listed him. He had no clue why this man was telling him this, and if Laxus knew about this or not, but if it was supposed to soothe him…it did. A little bit at least.

"Hm…", the greenet waiter muttered and scratched his cheek before glancing up into red eyes at last. He didn't know what else to say but he wanted the other to know that he had processed his words.

"The cocoa's damn good, baby."

"Huh?" Freed blinked, admittedly a little caught off guard by the sudden change of tppic. Though then he nodded. "Thanks." Before he narrowed his eyes for a moment and scowled. "But I told you something about the nickname, didn't I?"

"Yup." Bixlow's grin was back on his face. Man that was one hell of a scowl! Could easily keep up with Laxus'. Oh these two were gonna get along well, Bixlow just knew it. Smirking, he shrugged. "Laxy is still tryin' ta make me stop callin' him like that sometimes. And we know each other for a while now."

Freed gave a slightly frustrated sound before he just sighed and raised one hand to massage his temple. He didn't even know anymore. He had a date tonight, was at work right now and talking about said date with who appeared to be Laxus' closest friend. He was calling him 'baby' and this grin evoked a deep urge to just tape Bixlow's mouth shut.

But before the waiter could give an actual comment Bixlow stood up and drank up the cocoa before paying. "Thanks for the great cocoa, Mister Justine, and guess we'll see each other more often soon.", he said with a wave of his hand before turning with the smirk stil evident on his face.

Freed didn't say anything. He just watched him leave through the door of the café and wondered in silence what exactly had been the point of his visit. He knew that the small information on Laxus were helpful and sort of adorable and the fact that he talked to one of his closest friends in such an almost casual manner made him feel strangely good. Perhaps there was no reason to be nervous after all. Perhaps they would simply have a good time. A bit awkward maybe but…perhaps everything was destined to work out well, for both of them.

Yet Freed knew he wouldn't be able to banish his nervousness for good. And time passed so fast that he found himself rushing away from the café to change his clothes and then head to the Saber restaurant with a heart that was racing faster than usual.

* * *

 **That's it for chapter 7! Next up will finally be their date hehe. Also omg forgive me, I'm still getting used to the system of . I hope it's okay if I reply to comments here!**

 **mothslover Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it and I'm definitely gonna try to keep this ff up! Also aha yes, you have no idea how much I want to just make them smooch buuuuuut development is the best :')**

 **Brooklyn Thank you for the review! I always think that perhaps my chapters are too short argh! But I'm happy to hear that it's okay!**

 **JnjlenSkinjbir You have no idea how happy I was when I saw that my ff finally got a review and I was even happier when I read it! I'm trying my best ot keep everyone as ic as possible, but you all can feel free to tell me if you think I'm distorting sb's character too much! As you maybe know by now I still also ship Mirafreed and it's great to see you on my tumblr dash also hehe. So thank you so so much**


	8. About scallops and assaults

**Gaaahh I know this is one day later than the usual updates I'm sorry! It got posted in time on tumblr but I forgot to update on here as well ahh. I hope you like this chap though ( even tho I'm not soooo satisfied with how it came out) !**

* * *

Sometimes it seemed just as if time was flying past him. Now he couldn't say that this was the case. Freed felt as if he was getting a glimpse of the current time every second as he threw looks at his watch steadily. The minutes didn't want to pass. Only five minutes until it would be eight o'clock. Sunday evening.

As per usual he had been over-punctual but this time he cursed himself for being fifteen minutes too early. He was damn jittery and the slow passing of time was killing him.

Standing in a few metres away from the restaurant's entrance he kept looking to his left and right not knowing from which direction his date would appear from. Green hair was tugged up and tied together to his usual neat pony tail, the one Laxus already knew. Torso and arms were covered by a proper white shirt, a small wristband of leather on his left arm, on the right wrist his watch. Black pants and shoes were rounding out his outfit, his intense turquoise eyes shining out as always though.

One minute until eight.

A huff that was just loud enough to be heard escape the green-haired man and for a moment he looked at the ground. What was he supposed to say first? He'd thought and planned so many topics they could possibly talk about because he wanted to avoid awkwardness at all costs. People could keep telling him that he planned and thought about things way too much but he-

It didn't matter anymore.

As Freed saw a certain man coming round the next corner it was as if his mind went blank.

There his date was, strolling towards him as casually as possible with his hands in the pockets of his black trousers. It damn well looked as if he wasn't nervous one bit but Freed had honestly tried to believe what Bixlow had entrusted him hours before.

He was looking good. Blond hair styled with not too much gel, a purple shirt with a slim and low necklines covering his probably well trained body. He seemed to be utterly cool-headed and everything altogether had Freed gulping quietly. Damn, 'looking good' was an understatement and 'a bit nervous' was one, too. Why again was he so lucky and got a date with this man?

It was like in one of those movies - Laxus walking up to him in slow-motion so he could take every single attractive detail about him. Freed almost didn't notice the exact moment the blond came to stand before him, though luckily he recovered himself just in time.

"Hey." Oh god did his voice sound as weak as he thought it did? Freed dearly hoped that he was just hearing himself in some distorted way right now. The smile he hoped would appear all by itself was now more or less forced due to his new wave of nervousess.

"Hey." Laxus voice did indeed sound a bit steadier but now that they were standing right in front of each other Freed noticed that he probably wasn't as relaxed as he seemed to be. The greenet noticed that the other let his gaze roam along him for a quick moment and again Freed hoped - this time that Laxus liked what he saw. Who he saw. "...Ya waiting long already?"

"Ah no!" _Just fifteen minutes because I was overpunctual._ "Besides, you are bang on time." Freed smiled less forcefully now.

"Yea, good." This had been Laxus intention. He really didn't want to be unpunctual! "So uh...should we go in?"

"Mh-hm." Freed nodded, then went to hold the door open for Laxus who was visibly baffled by this move. For a moment he just gazed in confusion, then surprised and then he cleared his throat and muttered an awkward 'uh thank you' before he stepped into the classy restaurant. Freed, who was now wondering if the move with the door was too awkward after all perhaps, following his steps.

Laxus could see at a first glance that the restaurant was well-attended, just like the few times he had been here before. It looked as if nothing had changed a lot since the last time he ate here, what was quite some time ago.

But it still gave off this fancy though fairly complacent atmosphere.

Glancing to his side he saw that Freed was looking straight ahead. He had noticed that the green-haired waiter was nervous and apparently he was not as successful as the blond at hiding it. At least at the moment, and Laxus was very grateful for this little fact. Because he was nervous as well, and not just a bit.

In the slightly dimmed light of the large hall Freed gave him a small smile before he talked to a woman with short, silver-white hair. She had a cute smile on her face as she conversed with the greenet and Laxus decided to shuffle a bit closer.

"It's a pleasure to see you here again, Mister Justine!" The woman smiled a sincere smile.

"Oh the pleasure is all mine, Miss Aguria."

Mister Justine? Miss Aguria? So these two knew each other already? Laxus frowned but had no chance to think about it further as the woman turned to him. "And you must be Mister Dreyar? Mister Justine announced your visit. It's a pleasure to meet you.", she beamed her big brown eyes glancing up at him.

Freed blushed a bit at the mention and only then Laxus realized that Freed must have reserved a table for them. Of course! He was glad that the other thought about this one... Seeing how the Saber restaurant was popular it wouldn't have been a surprise if every table was taken already.

"Laxus Dreyar.", Laxus nodded and cleared his throat. The woman threw a quick glance at Freed and then smiled back at him.

"Have you been here before?"

"Not very often but a few times, yea..." The blond twitched his nose, not wanting to admit that for the longest time of his life such sort of restaurant had been way too expensive for him.

Miss Aguria nodded politely. "I hope you will enjoy your stay." Then she turned to Freed once more who had a similar polite smile on his features. "I will lead you to your table."

"Thank you."

Looking over at Laxus with a smile the green-haired man began to follow the woman, Laxus walking beside him and glancing around the hall. He remembered the huge stage and the elegant curtains, the elegantly decorated sabers on the walls, the bar on the right side of the room and the sound of clinking glasses.

Suddenly Laxus began to feel a bit more uncomfortable. He really didn't want to mess this up, and being in such an elegant restaurant... Apparently Freed had been here way more often than him and to hear him speaking in such a very refined and polite manner got him thinking.

Again he realized, all he knew was the handsome waiter at the Strauss Café. But obviously there was so much more to learn.

Miss Aguria let both of the men take a seat. It was a table designed and prepared for two people so that Laxus and Freed were sitting across from each other now. There was not much they could do to avoid direct eye-contact now. Apart from strictly looking down or away the enire time, but this would certainly give off a false impression.

The female then asked what they would like to drink. Freed ordered a classic wine while Laxus would prefer a beer and he struggled a bit before he voiced his decision to just try that wine as well.

Freed noticed his slight discomfort. "You know, you don't have to drink wine.", he remarked gently as if sensing that he wasn't one hundred percent comfortable with this elegant stuff.

But the blond just lightly shook his head. "'s fine."

He was glad that Freed didn't attempt to deepen this issue and just nodded. He really didn't feel like explaining what exactly was making him a bit uncomfortable or even insecure.

It was quite silent for the first moments, neither of them sure how to start a good conversation as they just waited for Miss Aguria to return. Both were really glad when she appeared with their glasses, a bottle and two menu cards.

"The wine.", she smiled and put the glasses in front of the two men, proceeding to pour the crimson liquid into them before she straightened up again. "And the card." She handed Freed and Laxus the menu card, nodded politely and then left to give them some time for their decision.

They thanked her and took the cards they had been given, Freed with more determination than Laxus. It had been quite some time since the blond had visited this restaurant the last time and he hoped they didn't change a lot on the menu card. Dealing with fancy menu and dishes names was not his thing... and he really didn't want to look like an idiot.

So he frowned at the card as his orange gaze roamed over what the Saber restaurant offered. A wide range of dishes and almost everything sounded delicious whilst some really weren't Laxus' thing.

Glancing up shortly he saw that Freed was still looking at the card as well. But when he put it down a moment later and looked straight up at it almost appeared as if Laxus was staring. Quickly the blond glanced down again. Freed's voice got his attention not long after that.

"Do you know what you want to order already?"

"I guess...", Laxus shrugged as he cautiously glanced up, still insisting on keeping his expression unfazed. "...the steak sounds pretty good."

"Which one?"

Oh yeah, right. There was more than one dish with steak... "Uh they call it Tex Mex steak. Sounds good, I like it hot." Before he realized that this might sound a bit wrong he already heard Freed agreeing.

"Oh me too! Spicy recipes must be one of my favorites.", he nodded and smiled as he put down the card.

Good thing he didn't make a comment on the 'hot' part. Nonetheless Laxus couldn't help but chuckle inwardly for a moment.

"I'm ordering the pan seared scallops with jalapeno vinaigrette.", Freed told him and showed a contented smile which distorted a little as he saw Laxus grimacing. Was something not okay?

Laxus noticed the suddenly worried look on the man's face and quickly gave a wave of his hand, huffing but with a slightly amused undertone. "There's no way in hell I'll ever eat scallops. No way."

"What? Not your thing?", Freed inquired and raised a brow. It wasn't too surprising though. Many people weren't a fan of such seafood.

"No. You'll never see me eatin' any kind of mussels or some shit."

"Don't let this hear the waiters.", the greenet remarked lightheartedly and presented the other an ever so tiny smirk. "Too slick and slimy?"

"Gross." Ew, really. But even Laxus grinned as he put down his card as well. Yep, he'd definitely pick the steak. "You're really going to eat this?"

Freed shrugged. "It's not as bad as it sounds. Did you ever try it?" His brow raised further, almost challenging. It was such a random conversation but definitely better than to be quiet. At the moment, Freed thought, he'd do quite a lot just to avoid awkward silence. At least it made him forget some of his nervousness.

"...of course I did." Laxus snorted and crossed his arms before his broad chest, silently hoping that Freed would buy it. Truth be told, he had never thought about trying it nor did he have the possibility to do so. But he wasn't keen on tasting them anyway.

"...you didn't, right?"

"I did." Now the blond growled and averted his eyes for a couple of heartbeats. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see that the green-haired male still didn't seem to be convinced, and a moment later he even saw his lips parting again as he wanted to retort.

Laxus was pretty damn thankful that just then Miss Aguria returned to take their orders. Steak and scallops got noted and even though the waitress inquired after possible starters both of the men agreed that they were absolutely fine with just a main course. Maybe a small dessert afterwards but this would most likely be a spontaneous decision. They learned pretty quickly that neither of them was a sweet tooth.

"Bixlow definitely is. Always wants chocolate, candy, pudding. This guy loves every dessert." Laxus shook his head. Sometimes e wondered how his best friend could eat so much of this stuff.

The mention of the other man caused Freed to shift on his seat. He remembered the early visit and still wondered if Laxus knew about it. But he kept quiet anyway and just nodded as another person came to his mind. "Sounds like he could go hand in hand with Lisanna."

"Is she one of the women you visited my club with?", the blond asked wrinkling his forehead. One of the women who hugged him. If he didn't know it better he would say that Freed is a good example of a womanizer with all the admittedly attractive females around him. But he hoped that they were just friends. At least it seemed to be this way.

As he mulled over it, Laxus didn't notice that he'd just given away something else about him.

"Yes.", Freed nodded and smiled. Though a mere moment later he tilted his head. "...you said, your club?"

Well, this was certainly not how Laxus planned to break this matter to him. Not that it was something bad or a crime or something but... oh well, now it was out. "Yea. It's my club." Laxus scratched his neck for a moment but then gained back a small grin. He really was proud of how it went.

"Wow. So...you are the boss? The manager? This must be a huge responsibility and lots of work." Freed honestly hadn't expected this. Leaning forward a bit as this topic piqued his interest, the greenet blinked. "So um...theoretically I could meet you there more regularly and it was not just a coincidence that I met you at the Donnerhall club?"

The question actually caught the blond off guard a bit and before he could be responsive to it a blond waiter returned with two plates of food. He had a wide smirk on his face, a silver earring shining out from his appearance but he was just as polite as everyone who worked here seemed to be as he served the ordered dishes.

They thanked the waiter and Laxus picked up the conversation, not wanting to seem rude or dropping it or something.

"Uh yea, basically. I'm not there the entire time, but yea I have to manage most of the organization and make sure that everything stays in order."

"It's a nice club, even I have to admit this." Freed chuckled, then grabbed knife and fork.

"Why?" Laxus raised a brow. "So I'm right and you're not a party animal, huh?"

The green-haired man couldn't help but laugh at this for a moment before he shooked his head. "Oh no, not really. I rarely visit clubs."

 _Maybe this will change now, though...,_ Freed thought to himself as he began to eat. He missed the flash of a grin on the blond's countenance before all he earned was another grimace.

"You're really eating this shit."

Once again Freed resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Good he was trained in this. "It's delicious." He wanted to point at him with anything but resisted this urge as well and instead shoved a piece of the scallops in his mouth, almost provocatively.

The amused smirk on the greenet's face educed a grin from Laxus too and with a shake of his head he grabbed his own fork and knife and began to eat his steak. Way better.

Silence hung over them but this time it was not exactly an awkward silence. Both of them were pretty surprised how quickly the mood lightened up and it almost seemed as if the nervousness had vanished for the most part. Weird, but as they talked and gently teased each other like they were it nearly felt as if it had always been like this and never different.

At some point the light dimmed further, the focus shifting to the huge stage in the front of the hall. Laxus blinked. As far as he knew he'd never get to witness an act of the restaurant. The few times he was here to eat had mostly been during afternoon and Freed had told him before that the restaurant had some skilled people on their team, an amazing singer and violin player among them.

In fact an impressive woman stepped onto the stage just this minute, Her walk was dominated by elegance, expression determined and everything went silent when she went for the microphone and let her almost piercing gaze roam over her audience. She almost gave a royal impression as she stood there, crimson lips forming a tight line, beautifully purple hair shining under the light for her performance.

Laxus bet that he spotted some jealous glances from young female persons in the restaurant, though he supposed it was natural with such a woman on stage. She seemed strong and confident, was beautiful and as she began to sing it instantly had a mesmerizing impact. At the same time the blond bet she was no woman one wanted to mess with.

He noticed that Freed didn't pay attention for all too long and instead kept eating his dish happily. He seemed contented and Laxus guessed that he probably knew this woman already. The sorta happy expression on the man's face however granted him a spark of his own happiness.

As the club owner ate up the rest of his steak, and yes he had to acknowledge that it was indeed one of the best steaks he'd ever eaten in his life, he could claim that he felt alright. More than alright. The greenet's presence was somewhat soothing and the occasional felicitous glances Freed sent his way evoked an unfamiliar sparking feeling in the depths of his being.

It let the slight confusion return but Laxus choose to ignore it for now. He could mull over it at home again... if at all.

A blissful sigh could be heard once Freed finished his dish as well and he leaned back contentedly after he courtly wiped his mouth with the napkin.

"You really ate that.", Laxus stated dryly but with a small grin on his countenance.

"How often do you wanna repeat this now?" Freed laughed for a moment and shook his head. "Believe me it was delicious, but seafood is not everyone's thing."

"Definitely not mine."

"I will keep this in mind."

Freed smiled and took a sip from his wine. Laxus watched how he elegantly swayed the glass before doing so and for a moment he really asked himself how _this_ was the guy that aroused his attention. They may have some things in common but there definitely were quite some huge differences.

The lady on the stage was still singing, customers clapping every once in a while and some male visitors swooning over the impressive female.

But just as Laxus wanted to try the wine again, all the lights went out completely. "The hell-"

Surprised gasps came out of every corner of the hall but it didn't take long until two male voices joined the trouble, shouting something about an assault and that they have weapons with them so everyone should shut the hell up and make no move.

And then someone snarled.

"Get you dirty hands off me you filthy asshole or this is gonna get ugly I promise!"

A masculine voice could be heard but it got cut off and replaced by a shout of pain. So apparently Laxus' assumption was right and the singer was no woman you could mess with easily. He supposed this guy had just gotten a nice kick right in the nuts.

"Lady Minerva!", the subtle voice of Miss Aguria broke through the panicking people, filled with concern but the purple-haired woman seemed to be able to deal with this one guy herself.

"Laxus!"

The blond looked aside to where the voice was coming from, barely hearing that Freed called after him. "Where the hell are you?"

"Go help to turn the lights on!"

He was confused enough at the sudden demand but even more confused as the greenet mumbled something about 'saber' and then vanished out of his hearing range. People were in panic over the sudden assault and even though Laxus wondered who the hell was dumb enough to start some shit like this at this hour he scowled and tried to find one of the waiters or the manager. If they were smart they were already trying to turn on the lights again, but who knew how many more of these assholes were in here.

What a change of events. On his first real date after months.

 _Perfect._

* * *

 **Also what do you guys think about the Sabertooth idea? Minerva as singer, the restaurant's lady, and Yukino and Sting as waiters? Rufus is the mentioned violin player btw~ Anyway I hope you liked it!**


	9. First date - knocking out assholes

**Unexpected turn of the date, now will everything go down or not?**

* * *

Turned out they were smart enough to at least fetch some other lights like flashlights for instance.

Laxus made his way through the now nearly entirely dark hall, grumbling to himself and mainly wondering why this had to happen on the day of his date. He hated such interruptions and really, what the hell was up with Magnolia's society lately anyway? Drug dealers, weirdos who assaulted a popular restaurant while it was still crowded... What was next? Something beginning to burn down? Murder?

If these guys really had weapons with them, Laxus guessed they must have guns, then it was not just a small issue though actually dangerous and serious. The blond was surprised when Freed raised from his seat and vanished after telling Laxus to look for the lights. Why did they have to take the rap for the restaurant? Of course it was still better than to just panic and let it happen... He would preferable just punch these guys' lights out.

Just as another grumble rumbled in the blond's throat the lights turned back on and showed that many of the quests had left the restaurant already. Glancing around more he heard someone calling the police ( good, someone else had the ability to think properly ) and saw that there weren't just two but a few more of the guys who were either out to harrass the women that worked at the restaurant, had a damn sick kind of humor or wanted to sack the restaurant. Or all three options.

"Sir, I must beckon you to leave the restaurant right now!" A man with hat and blond long hair, similar to Freed's, appeared in front of him and definitely was in Laxus' way. Sure, this action triggered panic but it could be far worse, at least in Laxus' eyes. Yet he couldn't help but shake his head - people could damn well decide by they wanted to leave or help. Unfortunately man human beings had become too cowardly to even defend or speak up for someone.

Seeing another guy entering the hall, he narrowed his eyes.

"Go fuckin' look for yer fellows instead, man.", Laxus barked at the blond man before turning to one of the intruders and grabbing him by his collar. He wrinkled his nose immediately as he noticed the strong smell wafting from the man. _Alcohol._ So that explained a lot and at the same time he hoped that the 'we are armed' thing was just a bad drunk joke. God, intoxicated people could be real gross. But unfortunately just as dangerous.

"Damn, ya stink. 's that what made ya think it's a good idea to do this stupid shit?" What was quite the rethorical question considering how Laxus didn't even leave time to answer and instead punched the guy right in his face, knocking him out in an instant. "'nd this was for ruinin' my date, asshole.", he snarled before turning back and looking at the chaos. Man he couldn't believe it.

The man with the hat was at the stage now, assisting the two women together with the blond waiter. Apparently the guy who dared to touch the purple-haired singer was just as drunk and Laxus could just groan at the entire situation. Trouble because of such stupid morons, oh how he loved this.

If he would have to punch each guy in the face or even make such a low blow as to kick them in the nuts so they could sleep some to sober the fuck up, then Laxus would gladly do so. Honestly, it should be alarming how Magnolia's crime rate increased lately though at the moment all it was to the blond was annoying as hell. Such amateur actions which were supposed to fail right from the start and he found himself dealing with such a situation. Urgh, what a pain.

Looking around to seek for long green hair it didn't take him long until he spotted Freed. With a saber in his hand and pointing it at one of the guys he was quite obviously discussing with. How the hell did he have the nerves to discuss with such a drunk idiot? Then he wondered why the greenet had taken a saber from the wall though as he thought about it a bit longer it wasn't such a pointless move. If both parties had a serious threat on their side, as in weapons, then perhaps these intoxicated morons would leave on their own.

Although Laxus' hopes were really low.

Suddenly, just as he wanted to walk over to his date, Freed's turquoise gaze met his own and he nodded as indication for him to join him over there.

Laxus wrinkled his forehead for a moment but started walking towards him nonetheless. How big was this group of idiots? Glancing to the side he could at least see that the one guy that harassed the lady got tamed even though he was bawling incoherently. And what the hell did take the police so long anyway?

He slowly approached the two men and his frown deepened as Freed suddenly looked back from him to the drunken guy and back. It made Laxus raise a brow and wonder what exactly Freed was trying to tell him but as he got a hint of an idea he stepped closer and halted right behind the stranger.

Just at this moment the greenet huffed and withdrew the saber, his expression previously dominated by annoyance while now a smug trace was running over it. "No, you neither will get this sword nor will you do anything else anymore. I would suggest you just go home and to sleep."

Hah nope, the police would grab him first.

The guy looked kinda irritate and an uncontrolled hiccup escaped him, fist directed towards Freed as he shook it angrily.

"Arrogant...bastard!", he hiccuped and scowled. "Jus' wanted ta have some.. fun.. with the women..."

"Disgusting.", Freed wrinkled his nose and shot a glare at the guy across from him before wiping his shirt. "You're going to sleep now. Turn around."

This seemed to confuse him as the guy blinked several times at the voiced demand. He turned around anyway but that was where his little dirty journey was supposed to end and he promptly got put to sleep by Laxus' fist as the blond crashed it forward once the guy's face was turned to him.

"Tchz..." Snorting Laxus dismissively focused the guy on the restaurant's floor. Really, these guys had some nerves and some gross ideas on top of that. At least the situation seemed to calm down now.

Still, his date got ruined. Right?

"Neat punch."

Freed's comment caused the blond to look up and fix his orange gaze on the greenet instead. He was laying the saber on one of the tables and took a deep breath, glancing around to check the atmosphere of the situation.

He knew it wasn't the first time that a pointless assault like this one transpired. Rogue had told him about similar ones happening, very often because of one of the ladies. Especially Lady Minerva. Given the fact that she was quite popular, getting known more and more as singer, it was not as surprising as it was at first thought. This was the dark side of being known and a person of publicity, Freed was familiar with it all too well. But it still didn't justify things.

"Thanks.", Laxus merely muttered and tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"Let's hope the police will arrive soon. To me it feels as if such occurrences are happening more often lately. Mira is pretty glad that her Café has been safe for the most part.", Freed admitted and sighed, throwing a glance to the now empty stage. Instead his gaze trailed to the bar where Sting, the blond waiter with the silver earring, had two of the guys. Both apparently knocked out cold. Then he looked at the guy Laxus had just put to sleep. "But for now let's get this guy over to the others. After I've hung back the saber."

"Pretty sure there were more than jus' these three morons." Laxus gave a scowl before he frowned, thinking about Freed's words. "Isn't it a bad idea to have all these sabers hanging around here? These drunken idots could have created an even bigger mess."

"True, but it's almost just as much of a risk to handle knives not to mention any sort of shards or anything pointy. Perhaps they should just mount them more securely. It was really easy for me to take it off the wall.", the green-haired male thought out loud and then turned after the saber was back in its original place.

"Huh yeah probably...so ya can handle swords?" This piqued his interest. Not least because of this name he had heard in the news this morning.

Freed's eyes beamed upon noticing the slight interest, however despite seeming kinda prideful he just gave a small shrug. "Yes, I have had some practice with it."

Laxus nodded. Some practice? Now what exactly did that mean? Letting his orange gaze roam over the greenet he considered whether to just ask if he was related to this one person or not. But perhaps he would spare this for another conversation.

"Should we get him over there now?", Freed then asked with a small smile. The situation was a bit awkward now that most of the ruckus was over and they could almost wholly concentrate on each other again. He tried to ignore it though and stepped closer to the unconscious man on the floor.

"I guess. Tchz.", Laxus snorted and scratched his neck, about to bend down just as another voice kept the two men from lifting the intoxicated guy up.

"No, it's okay! We will handle the rest." Both Freed and Laxus turned just to see the waiter with the silver earring walk up to them. "Thank you for your help, however. Keh. And I'm sorry for this inconvenience."

"We were glad to help.", Freed stated instantly and glanced from the blond waiter down to the guy and back up.

Once again it seemed as if Freed knew more than Laxus. The blond wondered if he knew this waiter as well. It just made him feel a bit more uncomfortable so he remained silent and let Freed overtake the talking.

"It's gotten a bit messier since I overtook the lead of this restaurant. I think I've to get used to it..."

"Rogue told me about what happened.", Freed admitted with a frown. "It surely is a big change though I'm certain that you have the ability to keep this restaurant going, Mr. Eucliffe. The atmosphere tonight seemed way more welcoming than the last time I was here.", the greenet added and offered a small smile.

"As a friend of Rogue you can call me Sting, Mister Justine."

Laxus just looked around awkwardly, not knowing what else to do. He felt a bit out of place.

"Well, I'm hardly going to decline this offer. Calling me by my surname is redundant as well.", Freed replied and took note of his date's awkward shifting. Now he seemed to be more insecure than when he arrived for their date honestly, and it made the greenet give a small smile before he cleared his throat. "This is Laxus, by the way."

At hearing this name, Sting instantly glanced over directly at the tall man and eyed him while Laxus solely released a low huff. Did this guy really have to eye him like that...

It was when the waiter's blue eyes lit up all of a sudden and he offered his hand that Laxus looked even more confused then before.

"My name is Sting Eucliffe, nice to meet you, heh! You're not Laxus Dreyar, are you?"

"Uh..." Furrowing his brows the blond wondered how the hell he could know about his last name, but awkwardly shook his hand. He was the manager of a club which had gotten really popular during the last months, yea but... Maybe a newspaper article? Did Cana or Gajeel know Sting? Usually he tried to keep most about him in private... Frowning deeper, he nodded however. "Yea, I am. How'd you know?"

"Natsu told me. You know him, don't you?" Sting looked really happy to talk to the club manager and Laxus was absolutely not used to someone smiling so brightly at him so all he could do was to nod.

The blond waiter continued, however. "It's great to actually meet you. Natsu told me a lot about you."

"Is... that so?" Now this was weird. Natsu had some sort of brenemy thing going with Gray. Bros who fight each other or some shit. They could be really annoying so Laxus always kept an eye on them when they were at his club at the same time. It was true though that, whenever Natsu was attend, the pink-haired man asked him a lot of stuff. Or challenged him for a play fight, arm wrestling or something like that.

Most of the time Laxus refused. And if he accepted he won.

Sting nodded. "Yes. He seems to look up to you and I really admire Natsu's confidence and optimism. He seems like a good guy."

This however, the blond coudn't deny. No matter what Natsu wanted to do, he never lost faith in it. All the times he'd talked to the pinket he could hear it clearly. Lots of optimismn and good will lingered in that guy even if he could be annoying as hell.

And sometimes it was good amusement to see Gray and him fight, whether verbally or physically. Still, more often than not it was pure exasperation.

"Uh thanks, I guess." Laxus didn't know what else to say. He wasn't the social type and at times it was hard for him to accept compliments. Natsu looked up to him? Frowning to himself the blond noticed Freed smiling out of the corner of his eyes and it made him want to just leave now. Perhaps they would have some time to do something else, or they just called it a night and chose another location for a next date.

This thought crossed his mind before he could even really think about it. Next date? Did he want this? ... the answer was yes.

Freed kept quiet politely while Sting and Laxus were talking, though after another moment passed by he apparently got the same thought as Laxus and spoke up.

"I saw you called the police, so they should arrive soon. Such happenings don't seem to be an exception recently."

Sting nodded again. "Yea, we noticed that, too. Hope such things won't happen too often here. I'm workin' hard to keep a good reputation, ya know. Being a manager isn't easy."

Laxus silently agreed and Freed gave a small smile. "It certainly isn't. The food was unique as always, however. Send your cooks our compliments, please. But oh-" He began to search for something in his pocket, though before he could get out anything Sting protested. "Oh no, the dishes come on the house!"

Freed blinked, though decided to accept it after all and nodded. "Thank you."

"No problem. That's the least we can do." The blond waiter said before he smiled brightly at the previous compliment about the food, obviously relieved that despite this unfortunate assault the guests weren't to put off. "Thank you Mister Just Freed.", he quickly corrected himself and scratched his head before giving a silly grin. "I hope we'll see you again. And if ya want I can greet Rogue from you."

"Oh, that would be nice.", Freed nodded before looking at Laxus who appeared to be a little more impatient. Thus, the greenet turned more to him while speaking. "But I guess we will head home now unless you need more help?"

"No, you helped enough already! Thanks again."

Giving one last smile, Sting then turned and waved a goodbye before he headed back to his friends and workmates, leaving the unconscious guy on the floor for the moment, while Freed turned to Laxus completely.

"Well, this was different.", the green-haired man mumbled and scratched his neck. The smile turned a bit more bashful and for a moment he had his eyes averted.

"Yea." It was. Nothing too harmful transpired in the end but it would have been better if nothing happened nevertheless. But it couldn't be changed, so Laxus merely shrugged. "Ya wanna go home?"

"I um...I don't know. What about you? Is there anything else you want to do?", Freed inquired while beginning to walk towards the door. Laxus followed, walking by his side with his hands in his trouser pockets again.

"Not sure. Can't think of anything else." They could go to his club together... But secretly Laxus feared that Cana or anyone else woud be pushy and embarrass him. He wasn't ready to appear there with Freed. With his date.

"Alright..." Freed tried to hide his slight disappointment as he spoke and halted before the entrance once both of them were outside. If he knew that something like this would happen then he wouldn't have suggested to go here... But how on earth should he have known? There was no way.

"Was...refreshing." Laxus shrugged again and cleared his throat. He had enjoyed spending time with the greenet. Despite this little attack. And Freed was conspicuously happy about these two little words. The disappointment vanished in an instant, and he smiled up at the taller man.

"I'm glad then. I'm sorry, if I had known that-"

"Ya couldn't.", the club manager interrupted, the question he had wanted to ask earlier popping up in his mind again. He used the short silence to think about it, but before he could think about it too much and got the possibility to wimp out, he decided to ask. "Hey, ya have to work on Tuesday, right? Think I could come visit ya at the Café? Or's that too distractin' if we talk and such?"

Freed's eyes widened and he beamed, no managing to hide his happiness caused by just this question. Wow, now he was really thankful for these bar stools and Mira's wish to interact and chat with the customers of her Café. "Oh n-no! You can stop by if...if you want! I know you usually order a black coffee but I might know a mix you will love.", he began to ramble without noticing, slightly gesturing with his hand and Laxus just thought that it was adorable as heck.

It was impossible for him to conceal a small smirk. "Good. I'll come around."

"Alright!" He couldn't help it. His bright smile stayed and he shortly glanced around before his features softened a bit more and his vox became a little quieter. "So, we will see each other on Tuesday then."

"Yea."

"Okay. Good night. And thank you for this evening." Freed smiled feeling his heart beating faster. This date had resulted in chaos but at this very moment he couldn't care less.

"Good night. Yea... was nice." Laxus felt awkward while saying this and part of him was afraid that it would sound dimissive. Though then again he had made the suggestion to visit him at the Café, so it should be obvious that he wanted to meet Freed again, right? He hoped so, but as he realized the absolutely happy expressions the greenet wore all of his doubts got taken away.

For a moment they just looked at each other. It was such a typical scenario - date, goodbyes, ... what followed next? _A kiss._

But before anything like this could happen both of them glanced away almost in unison. One of them cleared his throat and then they finally turned around to head home in the opposite directions.

This moment when they looked at each other felt so intense that it sent a tingling sensation of excitement and nervousness through Freed's being. And he found himself stopping and turning one last time, just to gaze at Laxus' back.

Sighing quietly to himself, with the smile still on his features, he shook his head and then looked back ahead, continuing his way home. Tuesday he would see him again...

And Laxus smiled as he walked, sky dark from how late it was by now. Unbelievable and so unexpected. But he was definitely looking forward to everything that was to come.

* * *

 **I hope you liked this chapter! My motivation flew out of the window for the last part omg I had such a writer's block but I hope you could enjoy it nonetheless!**


	10. And now visiting the café was different

**Our two boys are making slight progress hehe. It's the day Laxus will visit Freed at the Café, and I'm finally a bit satisfied with one of my chapter again aha xD**

* * *

Tuesday morning. As Freed entered the yet empty and dark room of Café Strauss he had a big smile plastered on his face already. Again he could feel a small wave of nervousness swirl up deep inside, though this time it was more like…joyous anticipation. That the man he had a date with, and a quite interesting one, wanted to see him again. And he honestly couldn't wait.

At this moment he didn't even care that he felt like a lovestruck teenager instead of a twenty years old man.

Of course Evergreen wanted to hear every detail about the date. Freed had teased her a little though in the end he told her how it went and how happy he was about the outcome. He realized he noticed pretty quickly that Laxus was not just a possible crush. He was more and the greenet wanted to spend time with him.

It wouldn't astonish him if Ever already told Mira everything and he wasn't sure if he would be able to handle both women's teasing and questions right now. Mirajane would not attend today, but Evergreen had to appear every moment. Of course she knew as well that Laxus promised to come around today.

Turning on the lights Freed shuffled behind the bar and began to prepare some basic stuff, the smile never vanishing. Occasionally low humming sounds would fall from his lips and every once in a while he got so absorbed in thoughts that he forgot everything around him. This had to stop, though, he knew this. Or better yet, he shouldn't even allow it to start!

Because he didn't hear as Ever entered the café. Freed looked up, confusion written all over his face for one single heartbeat, and only then he took note of her presence. Yea no, this was not good. Possible Freed-Justine-in-love, _fair enough_ , but he must avoid losing focus.

Giving a cheeky smile Ever snapped her fingers inches before Freed's face. "Our shift hasn't even begun and you're already dreaming. Freed, what am I gonna do with you?" She teased then joined him behind the bar, ignoring the huff she received as response. "It could be a bit embarrassing if this happens during our shift. Or once your man is here."

"He's not _my_ man."

"Not yet."

"Oh Ever, c'mon…"

"What?" Ever gave him a gentle glare before she turned around to check some of the cupboards. "It hit you so hard it's impossible to miss, Justine."

The green-haired waiter frowned at her words, a faint shade of crimson dusting his cheeks as he carelessly played with a ball pen. There were some moments of silence until it got broken by Freed's quiet voice, almost lowered to a whisper. "I don't want him to notice yet."

"What?" At hearing this the woman turned and glanced at her best friend sceptically. "Why not?"

"Maybe he doesn't feel the same way…and perhaps I could still keep him as a friend…"

"And you think this is a good idea? Say he really feels different than you, could you handle him starting to date someone else at some point? He won't be single forever."

"I know, Ever, but…," he interrupted himself and shook his head. Moments ago he had been overly happy and now he dealt with such depressing thoughts. He didn't want to and instead enjoy the day. "Yea you're right. I should just see how it goes and…I mean, he wanted to see me again, right? It's like a second date, sort of? So it cannot be bad."

"You could just kiss him and see what happens."

Freed's face took on a darker shade of red immediately but he merely gave her head a very light slap.

Until he went for revenge. "Like Elfman and you did, huh? You absolutely haven't been trying to hide from everyone for months, oh no."

"Oi! We weren't talking about Elfman and me!"

"Weren't. Now we are." Tables had been turned again and Freed could only smirk as Evergreen hit his back.

"Freed Justine, shut your mouth!"

"You could try to make me," the greenet smirked wider as he left his position behind the bar to check the tables before they would open the café for customers.

"I'm gonna tape it, believe me," Ever retorted threateningly and watched him with narrowed eyes. Her tone was not entirely serious however and if anything then such scenes were absolutely common.

"I would like to see you try."

"I'm gonna strike when you least expect it." Her eyes narrowed further and she tugged at her pony tail, then averted his eyes from him once she saw him opening the café after some moments.

Freed chuckled to himself though didn't reply right away but only as he was back by her side, leaning against the counter. It wouldn't take long until the first customers would arrive but till then he could tease her some more. Although perhaps… he should stop. Not that she got the brilliant idea to tease him while Laxus attended.

"So you've been with Elfman yesterday, hm?" He inquired though actually his voice sounded softer as before. Ever released a quiet huff but nodded. Freed watched how her cheeks reddened a tad bit and her lips twitched what he took for a clear hint of a smile. Seeing that his best friend was happy was something that filled him with happiness as well.

"We baked together. It was quite fun," the brunette told him and glanced at him shortly before crossing her arms under her chest. "He is trying really hard."

"Trying hard?" Freed arched up a brow, though a small smile remained on his face.

"Mh-hm. Trying really hard to make me happy you know? It makes me feel special," she admitted, her vox getting lower with each word.

Freed's smile softened. "You deserve only the best. You _are_ special." He wanted her to be happy more than he wanted his own utter happiness. Elfman was a good guy though if he hurt her he would have to have a talk with him. He was pretty sure that Mira thought similar, both ways - wanting Ever and Elfman to be happy and if one of them hurt the other than she would put them in their place.

xx

Evergreen smiled at his loving words. She could finally be happier. For so long all she'd experienced was disgust over herself, hatred and misfortune. She didn't want to have to do anything with her family or adoptive family but she was so very grateful that she found Freed.

 _Little Evergreen was sitting outside on a bench all alone and it was raining. Her light brown hair was a small mess, strands reaching to her shoulders and the rain drops were soaking it quickly._

 _Small and shaking hands of a nearly fragile body frame covered her face and hid what was happening behind her palms. Tears spilled out of her brown eyes, emotions overwhelming the young girl, but even if she hadn't been covering her eyes it would have been hard to differ rain drops from bitter tear drops._

 _Her childhood was a misery. She was a misery. Why couldn't she do anything right? She was so young and yet such thoughts were already running in her mind. Why did no one seem to care about her? What did she do that even her own parents gave her away?_ _Ever tried hard to make no sound, ignoring the rain and the fact that it was getting dark. Such a young girl alone outside? She kept crying and crying and yet she hoped no one would hear her silent scream._

 _Until suddenly someone spoke to her._

 _"_ _What are you doing here alone?"_

 _As she looked up she saw a boy of the same age. Green strands of hair could be seen under the hood he was wearing, a small beauty mark beneath his left eye. He was looking at her with such concern even though he didn't even know her and for a moment she couldn't do anything but stare._

 _As she looked at him the boy noticed that these were not only rain drops on her face but tears._

 _"_ _You must be cold." She looked so incredibly sad. It almost felt a little familiar to the young boy. "And you look so sad."_

 _Ever was still quiet. No one ever approached her. She was just the mean weirdo girl to most people of her age. She didn't know what to do._

 _The boy looked around, thinking that she must be a little shy or just caught off guard. Having a small frown on his face, much like the one he still wore today, the green-haired boy picked up a small flower that was growing on the ground next to the bench. Smiling faintly, he held it towards Ever._

 _"_ _Don't be sad. You can come with me and have something warm to drink," he offered and happily observed how Ever took the flower, sniffling._

 _A flower… A beautiful flower… It was probably one of the nicest gifts anyone ever gave her._

 _Wiping her face the young girl nodded and took the hand he offered her next._

 _xx_

He was essential part of her happiness and if he would be gone, then part of her being would be gone with him.

Shaking her head the woman quickly snapped out of her thoughts, not wanting to become overemotional right now and especially not so anyone saw it. Snarling lightly she hit the greenet's back, the tiny smirk on her face showing that she was not being serious. "Go take the order for our first customer today, I bet you'll be out of service for a bit once your date is here," she teased and motioned towards the man that just shuffled through the café door.

"You will see that I'll prove you wrong." Freed raised a brow again as he looked at her but then did as she said and went to take the first order.

Again time seemed to pass slowly but as the two friends kept running the café together Freed found himself wearing a smile again. Not only for the customers, but once more for the fact that Laxus would be arriving soon.

Taking orders, preparing drinks and chatting with Evergreen was routine but the greenet enjoyed it. It was simple and the atmosphere was delightful more often than not. Though the most important thing - no one expected him to be perfect or act like someone high and mighty.

Here and with his friends he was just Freed. Not Mister Justine and not the son of a man of publicity and with very fruitful career.

Just Freed.

The green-haired man was standing behind the bar counter again and pricked up his ears as it seemed as if Ever was beginning to argue with a customer. The brunette was kind and polite… but if something was wrong or inapprioriate in her eyes then she could start arguments pretty quickly.

He was so distracted by the quickly solved issue that he didn't notice that someone had taken a seat on one of the bar stools.

"I'd like a black coffee, please."

Freed froze and stopped with what he was doing. The cup in his hand got put aside quickly and he blinked. A black coffee. He had heard this order so very often. In _this_ voice.

And sure enough he spotted a man with blond hair and electrifying orange eyes as he looked up.

"Laxus!" Freed was almost sure that he sounded too excited, but the blond merely crossed his arms before his chest like he tended to do, broad shoulders rolling in a shrug. His lips twitched and the greenet wondered if this was meant to be a hint for a smile.

He was satisfied even without getting one, however. If there was something he'd learned then it was that at times Laxus was an even more stoic person than he himself was.

"Yea. Hey." He looked a bit awkward as he spoke. "'m here like I said." Small talk really wasn't Laxus' thing but it was totally fine. It was not Freed's forte either.

The waiter didn't really not what to reply with. He could impossibly splutter out a 'great!' or 'I'm really happy you are here'. Nope, no way. So he just smiled and nodded. "A black coffee for you?"

"Yea." The blond nodded in return while just at this moment Evergreen returned, not quite noticing Laxus' presence yet. She immediately began cursing.

"Wow, sometimes I'm still surprised how many damn jerks run around here. Really, this man had no manners–"

"Ever-" Freed subtly cleared his throat trying to tell her that Laxus was here and she should stop cursing like this. He didn't notice that it was amusing the blond man.

"Trying to tell me that I am in the wrong. Like hell was I in the wrong, this jerk-"

"Ever, look-"

"What?" Ever turned to the side and glared out of exasperation, slamming a small cloth she'd just randomly picked up against the counter of the bar.

Again Freed cleared his throat though instead of trying to drop hints he now motioned towards Laxus who shot a small grin at her at what the brunette woman instantly glared harder.

"This is Laxus. Laxus, this is Ever."

"It's _Evergreen_ for him still." Ever huffed and crossed her arms, letting her brown gaze run along the man he'd seen here so many times before. Finally though she reached out her hand.

The blond male's grin had vanished by now but he took her hand in acceptance and shook it in greeting. "Hey," he muttered and withdrew his hand right after he lightly shook hers.

Freed just observed the small scene in silence and wagged his head. Well, at least Laxus was now familiar with her slightly enraged side already. Then he remembered that a black coffee was requested and he began to brew it in an instant while Ever gave him and Laxus a look and then proceeded to go to the next customer, deliberately leaving the two men alone.

"Huh, she has some temper, doesn't she?" Laxus asked after making sure that the woman couldn't hear him any longer. He wouldn't want to have her wrath directed at him now.

"Mh? Oh yea she can have." Freed gave a shrug along with a quiet chuckle, getting a big cup out of the cabinet. "But she's a very good friend."

It was quiet until the green-haired waiter placed the now full cup in front of Laxus and leaned against the counter, not realizing that it was a tad bit too far. It caused Laxus to blink one time and weirdly enough he felt as if for one single heartbeat his common sense and mind waved goodbye as he saw Freed's face as close as never before, mixed with a kind of curiosity he'd never felt before and once again it was confusing him.

But then he took the coffee and sat up straight, thanking the other man before he took a sip and put the cup back on the counter with a sigh of contentment. _Ah yea, still the best coffee in town._

"So _um_ … is everything in order at your club?" Freed straightened his posture as well now, looking at him with sincere interest in his cyan eyes. He'd talked to Rogue after what had happened at the Saber restaurant and of course he was shocked. Such incidents definitely mustn't transpire again.

"Yea. No drug dealers, no trouble. Everything's good so far." Laxus shrugged but he was in fact glad that nothing else had happened. He had either nerves nor will to deal with more of such shit, honestly.

He saw Freed smiling lightly, then observed how he checked the room to see if Ever needed help. Apparently that was not the case because the greenet fixed his eyes on the blond once more. "I'm glad to hear this. So are you heading over there later?"

"Probably. Can't leave my main lady bartender alone for too long or she'll drink all the alcohol by herself, tchz."

"Why did you engage her then in the first place? Isn't it kinda bad for your volume of sales?"

Freed was surprised when Laxus' lips curved into a smirk. The greenet had a point. It sounded logical and if _Cana wasn't Cana_ then he would probably run a deficit instead of being very successful and making good money. "One would think so but's actually the opposite. Cana's rather convincing and she's good at what she does. Sells lots of drinks even though she almost consumes just as much. Crazy woman."

"Huh, " Freed blinked in the still lingering wave of astonishment. "Is she the brunette?"

"Yea, " Laxus confirmed.

The waiter had seen her running the bar and she was the one who'd given Ever and him a special mix. It was quite delicious and se seemed to be a fairly cheerful and confident person. Perhaps…yea, perhaps he could see what Laxus meant.

"That, and she's a good friend of mine, " the blond added casually and saw how Freed wrinkled his forehead a bit after the words left his mouth. Hand reached for the cup and while he took another sip of his favorite coffee Laxus watched Freed's lips forming a tight line. He looked as if he was contemplating something…or if he didn't like the words he just heard, but Laxus couldn't see why this would be the case.

He'd expected anything else but the next question.

" _Um_ …say would you mind if, maybe, I accompanied you? Come with you?"

"I thought ya aren't a party animal?" Laxus emptied the cup, a stoic look back on his face although inwardly he was smirking at the small blush that crawled onto Freed's cheeks.

"I'm not. I just want…" _…to spend more time with you. Get to know you and your life. Your friends. You._ "…do come and see what you are doing and maybe you could…could introduce me to your friend? If this is not too much I ask for, of course…"

Crossing his arms once more, still sitting in a straight posture, Laxus focused the other man. Next up he slowly glanced around and unintentionally crossed gazes with Evergreen who just raised a brow just as if she was trying to tell him something. And at last he looked back at Freed who was awaiting his answer.

"Sure, why not I guess, " he grinned and could see how Freed's eyes lit up with happy contentment. He didn't respond something immediately after he'd received the positive answer but instead reached forward to steal Laxus' empty cup.

Shuffling aside he went to refill it without asking, giving a low hum ( a sound Laxus was rather fond of ) as he added something to the black coffee. The blond couldn't see what it was, only that he fetched a bottle. "This is on the house. Remember what I said about a special mixture?" Freed asked but didn't really expect an answer.

Laxus did indeed remember but stayed silent, now being the one who knitted his brows as he watched him and then regarded the cup in suspicion.

"Try it, " the greenet chuckled and leaned his arms on the counter. "It's not poisoned."

"Tchz." Laxus rolled his eyes and took the cup, not wanting to show discomfort or anything else along these lines. Of course he didn't think that it was poisoned, tsk…

Slowly bringing the cup up to his lips until they touched the rim of the porcelain he took a sip and immediately discovered the addition of something…something slightly burning. Not too much, just enough to notice. A tad bit of sweetness too but the strong taste of coffee was still overweighing. It tasted…interesting but he had to crinkle his nose. "What's in that?"

"Rum. And a shot of honey."

"You mixed rum in this?!" Laxus almost snorted. So he was right and this burning taste was indeed something alcohol. And honey huh?

Freed shrugged. "How is it? It doesn't taste bad, right?"

"…no. 's actually interestin'. Somethin' different." Laxus admitted after a moment of silence and watched how the chuckle on Freed's face grew out to a smirk.

"You told me you like it _hot_. Now _this_ is something slightly _daring_ and apparently you are not opposed to this either," he stated with a mild touch of mischief causing the blond man to snort now.

"Huh I see. Hot and darin', yea…"

 _Yea._

From where she was standing Evergreen could see the two males chatting and now smirking at one another and she wondered if they realized how flirtatious they were with one another. Or that's at least how they looked like Who knew Freed would have such a grin while just talking to a 'friend', a 'date'.

The woman smiled to herself and shook her head before asking a customer if she could settle his bill.

If these two would not be doing more than just dating or being friends soon, then she would eat her hat.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I kinda enjoy the concept of sliding in some small pieces of past events the characters have been in, so if you approve of it I'll gladly keep writing such short scenes occasionally!**

 **bbrooklyn1 - thank you so much! I'll do my best to keep it interesting!**

 **OtakuPrincess010 - thank you again and also for your message! I tried to correct this grammar mistake in this chapter and hope I did everything correctly this time I hope you'll keep enjoying the story!**


	11. Just what is this feeling?

**Chap 11! Enjoy! I'm a bit insecure when it comes to portraying Ever and partly Laxus too so if you have anything to say about how I portray the characters in my story, please feel free to tell me no matter whether it's something positive or negative! I'm trying to keep them as ic as possible!**

* * *

Any awkwardness failed to materialize while the two men continued talking. Laxus was enjoying the second cup of Freed's special mix and the waiter had been busy picking the blond's brains for the past minutes. The topic? Laxus' club and job. Freed was sincerely interested in how the blond was running his club, why he chose to open it and whether he had anything planned for it in the future.

Running a club somehow seemed so much more pleasing to Freed than being the head of a company. He had always been supposed to join and at some point overtake his father's business but eventually he'd managed to free himself from these chains. He did not want to do something he didn't like. He didn't want to be dependent on his family, didn't want their money and wealth. He wanted to establish his own life without any help.

The work he did at the café may not be much, but it was a start, and his fencing matches were quite successful as well.

And Laxus? Laxus was actually enjoying the conversation. Usually he wasn't a fan of someone who would bombard him with questions just like Freed was doing but the honest interest he took note of kind of made him happy.

Emptying the second cup the blond threw a quick look at the clock that was hanging on the wall behind Freed and as he saw the actual time he was surprised how fast time had passed again.

Evergreen attempted her best to grant the two of them as much 'alone time' as possible. Needless to say she could not stay away completely but it helped that the café was as well-attended as usual though this also meant that Freed had to help her enough.

So due to it being an extremely busy day it was quite obvious that Freed could not be behind the bar and chat with the blond the entire time. Laxus had been aware of this as he suggested to come here of course. That's why he had asked the greenet waiter if it would be okay if he came to visit him here at the first place. He didn't mind it much however and was rather enjoying the time he was spending with Freed.

Looking rather contented with how everything was going Freed was resting his arms on the counter of the main bar again, picking up the conversation he'd had with his date before he walked off to deal with some customers for some moments. Laxus hadn't moved from his stool, not even for a minute. If Freed left and walked around he would either watch him in silence or sip on his third cup of coffee and once the man returned they would continue to talk.

Almost as if it had always been this way, if there wasn't this quite irritating and annoying feeling he didn't seem to handle all too well. Perhaps because Laxus wasn't able to explain it.

After some time Evergreen joined them at last as she emptied a tray, the room being a bit less filled with customers now. The piece she overheard from the two males' conversation sure as hell made her blink…and wonder.

And she really couldn't help but comment.

"You are talking about the _weather_?!" Really?!

The brunette stared at them blankly and they both turned their heads into her direction, gazing back upon hearing her almost shocked voice.

"What's wrong with talking about the weather?" Freed was the one who asked while Laxus just remained silent. Better is before he said something wrong that might piss off the woman. He still didn't wish to make things more incovenient, wanted everything to work in his favor.

Man, feelings could be a real pain…

Ever kept giving them a look of disbelief. "…nothing but-"

"What did you expect we would be talking about?" Freed grinned faintly.

Now she puffed out her cheeks and turned her look into a tiny glare. "Nothing. But don't tell me you've been talking about the weather the entire time."

Laxus snorted and the greenet shook his head. They were attempting to improve their _miserable_ small talk skills. There was nothing wrong with that, right? Sure, talking about whether was…boring, kind of, but the previous topic led to this small discussion.

"Of course not."

"So what have you guys been talking about?" She couldn't deny that she was curious. Who wouldn't if their best friend was having a date and you could watch them and even talk to the date? Shortly watching the blond male out of the corner of her brown eyes, Ever then glanced back to focus on Freed.

"Stuff, " Freed replied challengingly raising a brow. He threw a quick look at Laxus and then back at his best friend who just snorted as she saw the greenet and the blond smirking mildly amused at the mild bickering.

She was pretty sure they were just being typical dumb boys and teasing her so all Ever did was to roll her eyes, followed by her hitting Freed's back with a towel.

"Idiots…," she mumbled under her breath but as soon as she turned again a smile spread across her features. Apparently everything was going well between the two men. "Fine, keep talking about the weather, I'll continue working."

Shaking her head and putting back the towel she'd grabbed Evergreen walked off once more.

Freed was smiling to himself and had his gaze lowered so he didn't notice Laxus looking at him attentively. The blond took this moment to study the greenet's features, the beauty mark under one of his eyes, his thin eyelashes and the mesmerizing color of turquoise in his eyes.

So he was going to take him along to his club after all even though two days he'd still been against this idea. When Freed asked him if it would be okay to accompany him there Laxus somehow hadn't been able to deny. He didn't want to but the fear that one of his crazy friends would create an awkward situation was still present.

Lying to him was no option either but he sure as hell wouldn't tell him the real reason why he could have denied his wish to bring him along to his club. So he just had to make sure that Cana would behave. Gajeel was outside and he hoped that Natsu wouldn't be here this evening and cause trouble with Gray or some shit.

Crossing his arms again and about to get Freed's attention once more a thought suddenly crossed the blond's mind. Perhaps now was a good chance to ask. Definitely a better option than to ask about it at the club.

Usually Laxus wasn't one to ask people about their private or family life directly mostly because he tended to not like it at all whenever people did this to him and asked him stuff about his life. On the other hand though he realized that it probably wasn't a troubling question and he really did want to know whether one of his assumptions was actual truth or not.

And if so? Would it change something? Laxus frowned for a moment but quickly answered the question for himself. No, it wouldn't. Why would it?

"Oi-, " he said clearly and watched how Freed blinked and looked back up. He must have been absorbed in thought as well.

"Yes, Laxus?" Did he do something? The waiter blinked a second time and glanced right at Laxus, wondering.

Laxus found himself hesitating shortly though then just settled for a straight out question. "Do ya know a person with the name Evangeline Justine? Is she related to ya? Just bein' curious 'cause I heard her name in the radio and…" _…immediately thought of you as I heard the surname._

He interrupted himself there but it didn't seem to bother Freed all too much. The greenet was already straightening his posture again and knitted his brows. Laxus looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Well…yes." Usually there shouldn't be a reason to hesitate. What was the big deal about it anyway, right? Laxus didn't seem all too troubled when he realized that he accidentally admitted that he was the owner of the club. Or Freed just didn't notice it. Either way, such things shouldn't stand in the way of anything else so the greenet crinkled his nose and answered in a calm tone. "She is my mother."

Freed disliked it. With a mother who was quite famous in the world of sports and a father who was a successful businessman coupled with the fact that 'Justine' was not exactly a common surname in this area it wasn't very likely that he would ever get rid completely of the value his surname held. He was and would always be a Justine in some way.

So he was right, Laxus thought. This woman was his mother and a kinda popular one, too. At second glance he could see slight trouble running over Freed's face and he asked himself if perhaps Freed had any issues with his mom or his father. Or both. Yet all he did was to nod slowly, showing that he understood.

"So's that how ya got into fencing…?"

"Yes." Freed nodded. Fencing actually belonged to the things he had been able to enjoy all his life long, beside his passionate love for musical instruments. His parents didn't leave him all too many chances to take his own decisions, especially not as a child, so he mostly went with everything they told him to do.

Until he grew out of it and realized that all of this was not what he wanted at all. He was grateful for some lessons, like the piano or violin ones, but not so much thankful for the fact that he'd barely gotten the chance to get to know people let alone make friends. And this, this was one of the biggest holes of his childhood.

"I began to train with my mom and later on got private lessons since my mom was too busy to regularly teach me any longer." It was lonely. He'd felt lonely for the majority of his life. Looking at Laxus he noticed that it almost looked as if the blond was giving him a look of sympathy. His face was stoic but there was something in those orange eyes he couldn't quite define.

He didn't want any pity, though. All of this was in the past and now everything was moving into the right direction.

Not wanting to begin to stare Freed cleared his throat. "When I was old enough I decided that I didn't want the private lessons anymore and started to attend a public fencing club. By now I'm just doing it occasionally as a hobby, and participate in fencing matches."

Laxus wasn't responsive to his little explanation immediately. His expression hadn't changed so he was still looking at the waiter with a rather emotioneless face. The blond felt as if he could relate to Freed to some extent. Surely not entirely but his own childhood hadn't been the most cheerful one either.

Well, at least from that point on when he started to get incredibly sick.

Pushing these thoughts aside for now however, the taller man suddenly flashed a toothy grin, almost challenging. "And are ya good?"

The the grin that appeared out of nowhere caught Freed off guard so hard that he had to stare for a moment. And apparently this moment was too long because Evergreen came shuffled back to the bar just this second and raised a brow at her friend as she witnessed him gazing at the blond man.

As if Freed was gonna jump at him any moment.

Pounce him.

Rawr.

The brunette huffed barely audible and nudged him in the side slyly while putting down the tray she was holding and luckily it managed to snap Freed out of his— whatever sort of thought he's had.

"Uh yea." The greenet blinked himself out of confusion, then remembered the exact question and finally got himself to present a tiny smirk in return. In contrast to the toothy one on Laxus' face his smirk bore a rather smug touch as he nodded to give more confirmation. "Actually…I am fairly skilled, yes."

He wasn't lying. Spoke the truth. Even if he would not be skilled he wouldn't take the decision to lie so he could possibly impress Laxus. If he wanted to 'impress' him anyway then Freed certainly wanted it to happen with something that was true. Something that was truthfully connected with his being.

"Thought so. Guess ya wouldn't have fetched the sword at the restaurant if ya weren't." Laxus had to admit he never really paid attention to the mastery of swordplay. He'd been visiting a boxing club occasionally, used it as possibility to blow off steam or just to keep himself fit. He went jogging from time to time but he really preferred a punching bag rather than this.

"Maybe. Maybe I still would have done it just so these idiots see that I am armed. Weapons automatically provide you a more powerful appearance, usually, " Freed thought out loud keeping the small smirk as long as it suddenly turned into a small chuckle. "If I was unskilled, still took it and it would have come to an actual fight - well then this plan wouldn't have worked out. Luckily though, I _am_ skilled."

Laxus liked his confidence and the aura the waiter gave off while talking about one of his strength. While he'd been visiting Café Strauss regularly without approaching the greenet Freed had given a quite reserved and well-mannered impression.

This impression certainly wasn't a treacherous one. But whenever this man's lips curled into a smirk or he talked about something he was quite obviously good or proud at then he noticed a slight change in his attitude and the blond was determined to discover more of these interesting small changes.

"Yea." Laxus smirk had disappeared but he could still feel it, however as he threw another glance at the clock a tiny amount of flurry returned. He would hide it of course and there was no doubt that he would manage hiding it but that clearly didn't mean he could ignore it.

Instead his gaze shifted over to Evergreen who had just accepted a phone call. She looked like she was about to start cursing again though just as Laxus really thought she wold blow up the phone the woman ended the call calmly and threw a glance at the blond at what he went back to looking at Freed.

"So ya wanna drink a beer with me before we leave or somethin'? Or wanna wait till we get there?" Or none at all. Beer was good to drown nervousness. Or perhaps Laxus just thought it would but anyway it helped.

"I'm still at work, I cannot drink here." Freed laughed a little and shook his head. "And I have to admit beer is not my favorite alcoholic beverage."

"Yea lemme guess." Laxus raised a brow. "You drink all that fancy stuff like the wine and champagne and such shit."

"It's definitely no 'shit'." Freed retorted quickly. "It tastes really good. As good as alcohol can taste." And the chance that he got drunk from it was way lower. Despite his rather slim body frame he was not exactly a lightweight but when it got around alcohol then he definitely was. His tolerance for it was not high at all so it was good that he preferred drinks like wine which didn't get him intoxicated like stronger liquids would do in record time.

"Sure. No shit just like those gross mussels." Laxus snorted and teased having a hard time not to shoot another toothy grin at him.

And oh shit it looked kinda adorable how the green-haired waiter puffed out his cheeks in defiance now.

"Honestly!" Freed huffed but wasn't sure what to retort this time so he just kept giving the other a kind of death glare, his puffed out cheeks lowering the glare's effect however. Laxus just chuckled.

The greenet wanted to say something though, but then he noticed out of the corner of his eyes that Evergreen was looking at them every now and then so Freed turned his head and peered at his best friend, half escaping the blond's deep chuckling. "I take care of the last customers and then we end our shift?"

Perhaps Laxus and her would get to talk a little while he does so. That was what he hoped. If Laxus was going to introduce him to one or two of his friends at the club then of course he would do the same and of course he wanted his… date and his friends to get along.

Trying to signalize that he really wanted her to stay with the blond for a bit, Freed gave Ever a pointed look and after a moment of gazing back at him she seemed to understand.

"Fine by me." Ever nodded and threw a side glance at the blond, then proceeded to hand her friend notepad and pen.

Freed took both and turned to Laxus, smiling. "After that we can leave if you want." One last glance got directed at Ever and next up he stepped away to do as he said before, taking the last orders for the day.

Laxus really spent some hours here with him, just sitting with him and chatting, and it did make Freed weirdly happy. His smile turned a bit silly without him noticing it but he couldn't help it.

With Laxus and Ever left at the bar counter the two got the chance to converse and Laxus was actually the one who spoke up first after he'd silently observed her for some moments.

"So, Ever wasn't it?"

Blinking at hearing the blond's voice Ever turned and instantly shot a sharp look his way. The woman crossed her arms as she went to stand across from him just with the counter between them. " _Evergreen_ , yes."

"Evergreen then, " he snorted and knew that grinning would probably not be a good idea. He had to bring Bixlow some day… he could imagine just how much he would probably enervate her and it could be quite amusing to witness…or painful. For Bix.

Ever scowled shortly and adjusted her glasses whilst she began to dry off a couple of spoons. Her brown gaze roamed over to her best friend from time to time and seeing the happy smile on her face eventually caused her to crack a smile as well. She knew Freed wanted her to talk to the tall blond man but at the moment she couldn't think of a conversation to start.

Perhaps she should just… Yes. She didn't have to push it too far but she could at least try to learn something more while Freed was not in hearing range.

Slowly glancing over at Laxus who already focused her with his special orange eyes Ever frowned making the man wonder if he'd done something wrong again. But just as it seemed as if he was opening his mouth and trying to ask directly, Evergreen leapfrogged him.

"So you… have taken an interest in my best friend, hm?"

That this sudden question took the male off guard was not quite to be seen as he tried his hardest not to look at her wide-eyed. He didn't anticipate such a direct question, especially not now, and even less did he know how to answer.

Taken an interest in him? That one should be clear.

In what way?

Frowning a similar frown Laxus drummed his fingers on the table and looked away at what his focus unintentionally fell onto the greenet. He saw the smile, let his orange eyes roam over the handsome face with that cute beauty mark, the long characteristic hair tied up into a neat pony tail and those two rowdy strands of hair.

Evergreen watched it all while still awaiting an answer. But this, to see Laxus looking at Freed like he was, was already half an answer to her.

"So?"

Laxus' head shot back and this time his eyes met brown ones. The noises created by the tapping of his fingers died down but the frown stayed put.

"…Yea."

 _…_ _.but in what way?_

* * *

 **OtakuPrincess010 you'll find out about this next chapter hehe~**

 **Cuz next chapter they're gonna go visit the Club~ not completely but partly sure of what will happen then and they're slowly making more progress. I'm honest, I just wanna push their faces together and let them smooch as well buuuuut nope B)**


	12. Jealousy? Ridiculous! right?

**Hello there guys! Chapter 12 for you! This week felt like an really unproductive one to me but I hope you will enjoy this chap as well! Thank you so much for all the likes, follows and reviews!**

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Once the café was closed Freed and Laxus began heading towards the blond's club together. The Donnerhall was well-attended almost each evening so Laxus was twice as glad that, since the small incident with the two drug dealers, there hadn't been anything else that might bring his club or its reputation in danger.

Freed noticed that after the conversation with Evergreen Laxus had become quieter. It didn't bother him a lot that they were walking in silence right now. The blond had his hands in his pockets again and shuffled quietly alongside him, no need to lead the way since Freed was aware of the Donnehall's location.

He wondered if Ever and the club manager might have had a bad conversation but Ever actually seemed rather contented even though she refused when Freed asked her if she wants to accompany them. The woman had waved him off and went home after she'd hugged him.

Freed frowned. Now that he thought further about it, Laxus had seemed a bit nervous as he asked Evergreen if she wanted to come with him.

"Hey um…"

"Yea?" Laxus turned his head and looked at the shorter male, spotting the thoughtfulness in his turquoise eyes. In fact he hadn't told Ever much more. She was surprisingly forward and curious when she talked to him but he guessed it was simply beause she was Freed's best friend and of course his happiness was important to her. Her tone did irritate him a bit every now and then but in the end it wasn't an all too bad conversation.

xx

 _"_ _So you do?"_

 _"_ _I said yea already, do I have to repeat it?!"_

 _"_ _Don't talk to me as if you know me for years and can afford such a tone while conversing with me, " Ever shot back immediately and adjusted her glasses before eyeing the man and conjoining her arms across his chest. That she received a positive answer brought joy to her even though she wouldn't show it._

 _"_ _Who's the one talkin' as if we know each other for years, huh?" Laxus grumbled and began to drum his fingers on the counter once again. This woman. Just straightforwardly asking him if he had interest in her friend._

 _"_ _Not me. I'm asking a normal question as it is."_

 _…_ _maybe she had a point, Laxus thought. Not something he would admit but the anew grumble he gave kinda spoke for itself. Of course she would want to know, it was just that hadn't anticipated her to ask already. Now. And he absolutely wasn't able to answer this question completely._

 _"_ _Yea fine, I'm interested in him but that's all I'm gonna tell ya!"_

 _He barely knew her so it was difficult to entrust her anything at all. Laxus hardly ever talked about his feelings and when he did then it was mostly with Bixlow who could be surprisingly sensible when he was being serious and not fooling around._

 _xx_

Still he…didn't know much more than before. He'd definitely taken interest in Freed. Why else would he have kept visiting the café or so long, why else did he want to get to know him better? He knew this much but not more.

"Did Ever say anything irritating?"

Freed's voice cut off Laxus' train of thought. The blond man blinked and frowned heavily, his expression only altering when he noticed that he was more or less gazing at the shorter male.

"Huh? Nah." He waved his hand before letting it vanish in one of his trouser pockets again, out of ther corner of his eyes seeing Freed nod weakly. He was glad that the greenet simply accepted this brief reply and looked ahead once more. Apart from the fact that Laxus hated lying he really wouldn't know what to answer if Freed asked him if something was wrong.

So he was glad even more once his club came in sight.

"Gonna introduce ya to Cana." Laxus had taken this decision quickly and decided to voice it before he could change his mind. The brunette knew him well, they knew each other for a good deal of time but he still couldn't be sure that she would not act suspicious or try some questionable methods to hook him up with Freed.

"Is she the brunette lady bartender?"

"Yea, " Laxus confirmed and the two of them reached their destination. Freed was perfectly aware that it was nonsense and absolutely ridiculous to feel jealousy towards a woman who was Laxus' friend. Just a friend. After all, his own closest friends were all females as well.

And yet he couldn't help but twitch his nose in a mix of flurry and thoughtfulness as they were about to enter the huge building.

Before they actually did so though a man with kinda wild but long black hair was waiting outside in front of the door. Freed had seen him the evening he was here as well.

Laxus headed straight towards him and Freed followed with his forehead still in a small wrinkle.

"Oi boss, hadn't expected to see ya here so early, " the black-haired man grinned and raised one of his hands to fistbump with Laxus even though the blond regained a kinda stoic look.

"Everything alright here, Gajeel?"

"Yea, but I should warn ya cause Flamebrain is somewhere in there."

 _Flame…brain?_ Freed stood in silence and just let the two men talk what they needed or wanted to. He assumed that Flamebrain was a nickname for some other person, however obviouly he couldn't say why.

Whoever it was, Laxus didn't seem too happy to hear this.

"Ah yea. 's Gray here, too?"

"No, don't think I've seen him but it's pretty early." Just then the bouncer shifted his red gaze to Freed. "And who've you brought with ya?" Gajeel dared to ask, curious about the man with likewise long hair. He was sure he'd seen him before. There weren't lots of men with long green hair. His was straight and not wild like his own though and he immediately gave off a rather… _proper_ impression in an instant. It was not often that Laxus took somebody else along, and if so then it was Bixlow most of the time.

Laxus looked back at Freed, then focused Gajeel again but just as he wanted to explain the greenet stepped forward clearing his throat.

Freed threw a quick glance at the blond before he proceeded to stretch out his hand, offering it for Gajeel to shake in greeting. "My name is Freed Justine, it's nice to meet you."

Instead of taking the hand immediately the bouncer ended up gazing at it for an awkward moment of silence. Of course he was familiar with such greetings but they were _uncommon_ for Gajeel.

Nonetheless he took Freed's hand firmly at last and gave it one shake, snorting before he flashed a toothy grin. "Gajeel, " he introduced himself briefly and eyed the green-haired man once more not noticing that Laxus wanted to interrupt.

"You a friend of my boss?"

"I- " Freed honestly didn't know what to reply. What was he? An acquaintance Laxus was dating? A friend? He knew what he _wanted_ to be, however he could hardly voice this thought now…or anytime soon.

But it was of no use to think of something to answer instantly for the tall blond man just scowled and acted as if had overheard Gajeel's question. "We're goin' in. Be extra careful still, I don't want any idiots endangerin' my club," the blond stated before he entered the building.

Freed followed him, on the one hand a bit confused about Laxus' sudden reaction though on the other glad that he didn't have to answer Gajeel's question. He just threw one last glance at the black haired male before he disappeared in a darker area before after some more steps they reached the huge main hall which was dimly lit as usual.

It wasn't too crowded yet as it was comparably early but the greenet didn't mind this circumstance at all.

"Who is…Flamebrain, " Freed inquired after he was walking beside again Laxus and not behind him, looking up while the blond didn't turn his head though kept heading towards the main bar.

"Natsu Dragneel. The one uh…Sting was that guy's name I think mentioned at the restaurant."

"Ah I see…Why do you call him like that?" Freed was aware that nicknames might as well be just random but if there was a reason than he was curious to know it.

"Why?" Now Laxus looked at him and halted in his track. "Gray, a friend of Cana, started callin' him like that. Natsu's a pretty fervid guy. Often does things without thinking about them before. These things kinda led to that nickname I guess." He shrugged but then nodded towards the bar. "Cana. You still want me to introduce you to her?"

At hearing the question directed at him Freed averted his turquoise eyes from Laxus and focused the bar instead. Ah yes, the brunette lady bartender appeared to be cheerful just like she'd been as Freed visited the club with Ever, Mira and Lisanna. Apparently she hadn't seen the two men yet and was happily sipping on a small bottle of alcohol.

Blinking two times the greenet nodded and cleared his throat. "Uh yes, of course."

Laxus nodded in return but didn't say something as he began to target the bar. Freed followed him silently.

It was way easier to make his way through the hall when it was less crowded though more people also meant more distraction… If anything wold become embarrassing or awkward then-

"Yo Cana."

"Sparky! What are you doin' here already?" The lady bartender put her bottle down behind the counter quickly and a wide smirk began to blossom on her face.

 _Spar…ky?_ Another nickname? For… _Laxus_? Freed was hidden behind the taller man and could safely crack a tiny chuckle without getting caught. Well, that was kinda adorable.

He heard Laxus grumbling something more or less to himself but next up he turned and Freed immediately took on a neutral expression as the blond gestured towards him.

"Yea whatever, I wanna introduce ya to somebody…, " the blond stated and escaped the brunette's wide grin for a moment. Kinda unnecessay because the woman's gaze shifted to Freed in an instant once she saw him. It wasn't silent for long until Cana cheerfully exclaimed that he knew this guy…somehow.

"Hey ya look pretty familiar!"

"I..yes um, that may be because I-" But Freed trailed off as the brunette's facial expression altered promptly.

She had seen him before and she knew where. Right here. At Laxus' club. Green hair… _Striking green-haired man_.

Her jaw dropped and she turned her head to Laxus. So she was right! When this green-haired male visited the club days ago then her boss had been watching him. This exact man!

" _You and him_ -"

Giving her a warning glare the blond blushed every so slightly, what he hated, and hissed letting his mouth form the silent order _'not a word!'_.

Oh hell no! Once Cana began looking serious and gazing at Freed as if she'd just seen a ghost he knew what was coming to her mind. Damn, no way was she telling Freed that he might have been watching him when he was on the dancefloor with his three female friends.

And even less was he revealing to anyone that he may or may not have felt a very small sting of jealousy as he witnessed how these two white-haired women had greeted the green-haired waiter.

They were just Freed's friends. Much like Cana was his female buddy.

"I meant- yea you were here with that brunette friend of yours, right?" Cana inquired after she'd slowly averted her eyes from the blond club manager. Freed was just kinda glancing at her in confusion, the hiss coming from Laxus making him wonder though he knew he wouldn't approach it now.

"Ah yes… I must say the Club's special cocktail tasted excellent, " he tried to compliment a little awkwardly but smiled before shortly looking at the man standing right next to him who actually wanted to introduce him.

"Heh thanks, it's my own recipe." The brunette stated proudly and picked up the bottle she'd held before already. "Although originally there was more alcohol in it. Boss told me to make it less."

"Tchz yea, I wonder why I did, " Laxus snorted.

"Just because y'all are lightweights, " the brunette teased and noticed that Freed was eyeing her as if studying everything he saw. "Oi, no checking me out yet. Maybe tell me yer name first."

Cana was of course just teasing and the smirk on her face confirmed this fact even clearer but the green-haired man still ended up blinking while spluttering out a short apology and a light protest that he was not checking her out.

Laxus however grumbled at this and somehow the lady bartender savored his reaction a lot.

"My name is Freed. Freed Justine, " he finally said and took a step forward so he could greet her with the same gesture he used with Gajeel and basically everyone else he got to know. Much like the black-haired bouncer Cana just gazed at the outstretched hand, then threw a quick look at Laxus. "Wow, ya hooked a proper man here. Didn't expect that-"

"Shut it already, Cana!" The growl rumbling in Laxus' throat was louder now but the smirk on Cana's face still didn't disappear. She didn't want to push his buttons, all she did was to speak her mind as always.

Judging by everything she'd seen until now, and admittedly it wasn't too much, she would go as far as to say that Laxus, Laxus Dreyar, did have interest…special interest in this guy who was now shaking her hand ever so politely.

 _Wow_ , indeed.

Chuckling after their hands detached while Freed was blushing a little about her comment, Cana then rested her crossed arms on the bar counter and eyed the two men. Laxus immediately looked away with a seemingly exasperated huff.

"Natsu's here by the way."

"Gajeel told me, " Laxus answered brusquely but looked at her again. Orange eyes slowly narrowed to slits and he didn't notice the side glance Freed was giving him. Then, as the blond turned his head once more though this time to look at the green-haired man, Freed quickly straightened his posture and blinked. "Can ya wait here?"

 _Wait…?_ "Uh sure."

Laxus nodded before laying his entire focus on the brunette. "I need to talk to ya for a second. – Club stuff. Won't take long, " he added hoping that Freed wouldn't get the idea that the two would be talking about him…because this was partly was Laxus was going to do.

Cana merely raised an eyebrow at her boss and friend before she watched the blond joining her behind the bar and finally ended up dragging her further away. The brunette snorted but let Laxus do so, waving towards one of her fellow bartenders and then finally tugged her arm out of the blond's grip.

"Laxus what the hell-"

"Be quiet, woman!"

"What's the problem?!"

Laxus stood so Freed couldn't see his face but was looking at his back instead from whee he was waiting, his tall form almost covering Cana completely as well. He made sure to keep his voice hush but that didn't take away the sternness in it. "Stop makin' such comments!"

"What comments are ya talkin' about?" Cana solely crossed her arms gazed back, not intimidated in the slightest.

"What comments? The ones about him checking ya out or that I _hooked_ him. I did not hook him!"

The female was sure Laxus was used to her teasing and knew that she hadn't been serious…but this time it seemed to be really important to him and she immediately began to wonder if this greenet could be on the way of…stealing an important part of Laxus and make it his.

"Hey Sparky, ya know I didn't mean it. As if I think you and him had sex or even _more_ than that going on. Would have surprised me anyway."

Yes he did indeed know. This was Cana, she regularly released such comments but she didn't mean any harm by it. Now her words evoked anew confusion however, something he couldn't use right now at all.

"Oh? Why? Am I not allowed to have fun or date?" The question fell from his lips before he could even decide whether he wanted to ask or not. As expected Cana was kind of surprised to witness him react like this. Man, perhaps he was really–…..

"Never saw you with a guy before. Then again not with too many chicks either." Cana shrugged and she was certainly not one to judge. She may be bisexual but a preference for the same sex was given. In contrast to what many people thought about her though, she had little sexual ad romantic experience.

That shut Laxus up for some moments. His lips formed a tight line as he didn't want to admit that he kinda thought the same. Before Freed there had never been a guy who came close to catch his special attention. True, not many girls either but until he met the green-haired waiter he'd always _assumed_ that he was straight. Subconsciously. Actually he never spent much thought to his sexuality or all things connected to it. So much other stuff had kept him and his mind busy…

Finally Laxus shrugged. "Yea anyway, stop those comments, will ya?" It made him uncomfortable even though he wouldn't voice it. "There's _nothing_ between the two of us but I don't want ya to make it awkward or some shit."

"Sure Laxus. You know I'd never ruin something for you." She didn't quite believe his words because part of him, and she would assume it's a comparably huge part, did care about the green-haired man.

Laxus looked at Cana and saw the honesty in her expression, and heard the sincerity in her voice. Yes he knew. He knew she could be a goddamn tease but she would never do something to harm him or anything important to him.

Still, all he did was to snort gruffly but quietly before he turned around.

And apparently fate decided to remind, or make Laxus feel once more, that some of his previous words had indeed been a lie or an attempt to protect himself.

 _There is nothing between him and Freed?_

The green-haired man was still where he had left him, standing in front of the bar. But he was not looking into his direction again, nor was he alone. Instead he was wearing a smile as his greenish blue eyes were fixed on a blonde woman. She was about one head shorter than him and had doe-like eyes, big brown ones and they were beautiful. She had a similar smile on her features, her eyes glimmering with happiness as she talked to Freed.

If Laxus didn't know it better he would say it looked just as if they were flirting.

 _He didn't know it better._ Didn't know that this blonde woman was another acquaintance of Freed and that the two of them were just happy to meet here. He didn't know it better so a slightly stinging feeling poked him and made him gaze at the scene before the blond stomped out of the bar and straight towards the chatting two. His date. And this woman.

 _There is nothing between him and Freed?_

Then why did it feel so odd, he didn't dare to think of the word jealousy, to see Freed like this with a person Laxus didn't know. To see him smile at a woman Laxus thought had approached Freed to _flirt_.

* * *

 **That was it for chapter 12!**

 **I hope you like the Laxus/Cana brotp as much as I do. I still do ship these two a tad bit romantically but I really don't have lots of ships for Laxus... while I ship lots of people with Freed oops.**

 **But yes, some jealousy! They already get a bit protective over one another~**


	13. Turn of events

**Here it is, chapter 13! I think this is the longest one so far and I honestly didn't plan for this outcome to happen. But welp, here it is nonetheless!**

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Cana stood right where she was and of course it didn't take her long to realize what the reason for Laxus' slight but sudden change in attitude was. His expression was still calm and stoic but by the way he was walking towards the green-haired man and the blonde woman was enough for the brunette lady bartender to tell that something was bothering her boss.

And she knew exactly what this _something_ was.

The man who suddenly appeared behind Freed caused the female he was chatting with to blink and shift her focus. It made Freed stop talking in the process and the smile he'd previously worn disappeared out of confusion.

"Lucy, is something wrong?"

Obviously he didn't realize that his date was standing behind him and more or less glaring at the blonde who happened to be one of Freed's friends. Lucy Heartfilia. The two of them had gotten to know each other through their parents mainly but he was even happier when he discovered that she had a great bond with Levy, a petite blue-haired woman who worked in a library. Freed and her had chatted and met lots of times.

Needless to say Laxus couldn't just voice the thought that invaded his mind, hence he decided to step beside Freed and clear his throat as he crossed his broad arms in front of his chest, giving Lucy an almost domineering look.

The blonde looked more confused than intimidated at this point however, though Freed finally had a clue what had caused the sudden alteration of Lucy's expression.

What was still a riddle to him though was why Laxus appeared like this all of a sudden and…, as he noticed as he turned his head to glance at the club manager, why he looked a bit exasperated.

"Laxus!" As soon as the name of the blond man escaped Freed's lips he brought himself to smile once more and shortly looked over to Cana, who suspiciously enough immediately looked away when she saw him turning his head, before glancing back at Laxus. "Is everything alright?"

"Yea." The blond was eyeing the blonde woman casually, not altering his current stance. "You two…know each other?" If they would answer this query of his with a yes then he would probably be mad at himself for reacting like he did. She surely was just another one of Freed's friends…female friends. He was not damn jealous. He had no reason for it, right? Huffing without wanting it the blond finally detached his gaze from the woman in front of him.

"Oh, yes we do!" Freed didn't hesitate to explain as he went on while Lucy was slowly gaining back her smile as well. "We know each other ever since our childhood years but actually only started interacting thanks to another friend." …since neither of the two really had much time during their childhood to meet and play like other children of their age would…

"…ah…" Well… there was his answer. Laxus brought his right hand up in order to scratch the back of his neck briefly before he fell into a less dominant posture. He swore that he heard Cana chuckling but didn't want to look into her direction now.

"My name is Lucy!" For the briefest of moments the blonde looked a bit insecure whilst deciding whether to go ahead and introduce herself since Laxus did seem to be a little grouchy… but after all it didn't keep her from holding up her cheerful smile and stretching out her hand.

It wasn't like he felt bad about his behavior but Laxus did feel bothered by the mere thought that this little and absolutely harmless scene had been able to arouse a stupid feeling such as jealousy. He refused to believe that it was _that_.

"Laxus." The tall man nodded and took her hand to shake it firmly, then withdrew to fall back into his previous stance. He didn't bother to tell her that he was the boss of the Donnerhall, at least not for now.

"And you two know each other as well? I've never seen you together before, " Lucy proceeded to state innocently and glanced at Freed who surprisingly enough blushed a tiny bit at this question.

Without knowing it he shuffled a bit closer to the blond man next to him and threw a quick look sideways. "Yes um…"

Freed wasn't sure with what version to go, though then he decided to keep it simple. "We met at the café I'm working at." He was damn thankful, once again, that blushes were hardly visible in here. "And now we went here together to… well, you know why. Spending time together." Oh wow he really did get awkward right now and he despised it so much.

He was astonished as he heard a soft huff coming from Laxus but as he turned his head to look at the blond he saw that he was facing away from him. Perhaps he felt similar… And Freed still wondered why the blond seemed to be bothered as he saw him talking to Lucy who now emitted a quiet giggle.

"Alright, I didn't want to bother you. Actually I've merely been searching for someone, " she admitted, the last part leaving her mouth in a more hesitant manner. The one she was searching for happened to be a boy with pink hair. The two of them had met coincidentally and agreed that they wanted to meet again.

Oh, if Laxus and Freed knew that said boy was Natsu… Or, _Flamebrain_.

"Don't worry, you didn't interrupt anything." Although Freed honestly wouldn't mind being alone, well kinda 'alone', with Laxus again and the blond seemed to be feeling the same. Hence, both males were inwardly very grateful when Lucy stated that she really didn't want to interrupt their ahem meeting ( she was really convinced that this was more than just a meeting, judging by Freed's behavior ) and bid goodbye and vanished in the slowly growing crowd of people to continue her search.

Needless to say the first moment was bound to be awkward once more.

The green-haired man was still stubbornly gazing at the spot Lucy had disappeared at while Laxus turned towards the bar and regarded that Cana had gone back to work. He really didn't need this damn woman teasing him about this little incident as well.

"Are you sure that everything is alright?"

The deep and familiar vox caught Laxus more off guard than it should have. He could hear a trace of concern wavering in it and when he dared to look at him again he instantly saw those sparkling, worry-filled eyes. He was…really concerned, huh?

Emitting a low grumbling noise the club manager couldnt help but scratch the back of his neck once more. He could impossibly admit that he preferred to spend the time he had with him just with him without anybody interferring. Sure, they were at his club and of course they weren't completely alone… but having a third person with them who already had a bond with Freed but not with him somehow made him feel a bit uncomfortable and… Nope, like hell would he think of that word again!

"Yea. Didn't mean to give off the impression that something's wrong."

Freed nodded. He still held onto the thought that something definitely troubled Laxus but he would just accept his reply, not wishing to make anything more complicated.

"Do ya want a drink? For free of course." It was his turn to invite Freed and the greenet seemed to be happy about the offer. Laxus couldn't help but think of that one evening when Freed tasked someone of his friends to go to Cana and tell her to give Laxus a drink which Freed paid for. At this point the green-haired waiter wasn't aware that Laxus was the club owner and now that the blond realized it once more he wasn't able to hide a chuckle.

"What's… What's so funny?" Of course it didn't escape Freed's notice but despite his seemingly insecure tone it was a delight to see Laxus smile almost widely.

"Nothin'… just remembered somethin'." He wondered if Freed had already mulled over this small scenario after he'd learned that Laxus was the club manager.

"Well, it's obviously amusing you…" Freed was curious now though at the same time didn't want to ask further. And as Cana shuffled towards the to men once she was free of tasks for a moment he kept quiet anyway.

"So, ya two look like ya want a drink, " the brunette stated and gave them a knowing look. They looked like they want a drink and she could bet deep down there was another desire. She couldn't wait to watch the progress of these two, this was gonna be interesting.

"Damn right we do. Make us the special mix, will ya? Since Freed said he liked it a lot."

 _He actually remembered._ Freed's cheeks turned warm by just this little bit of a gesture. Sure, it wasn't long ago since he stated that he really liked Cana's special mixture but Laxus could have just overheard it or already shoved it aside. No, instead he remembered and paid attention to it.

"I honestly did…, " Freed mumbled and looked to and fro between the other two for a moment. "Although I bet I shouldn't drink too much of it. Let's just say I have a… fairly low tolerance for alcohol. Pretty much the only thing I stomach very well is wine," he admitted and snickered. This was exactly why he didn't drink often.

"One drink won't kill ya." Cana winked before she promptly began to prepare the requested drinks.

She was right. One drink wouldn't kill him. It wouldn't even get him tipsy let alone leave him in an intoxicated state.

 _But soon enough it would turn out that the liquid still messed with him or increased his courage for a certain matter. This is just what Freed would later use as reasoning, at least._

More time passed and the two men had emptied their glasses by now. Laxus had found Natsu, or at least spotted him in the crowd, and just as Gajeel had assumed Gray appeared as the evening broke in more than ever.

Laxus hadn't taken Freed to his personal room where he would work on annoying papers at times or do some manager stuff, nor did he went to have a seat in the corner with the couches and beanbag chairs. It simply felt too akward to sit between kissing and lovey dovey couples since those people claimed this corner more often than not.

Instead they'd disappeared to a calmer area. It didn't only make hearing each other and conversing simpler since the music didn't reach this spot too much but it somehow felt more convenient. Just the two of them, no one who could bother or interrupt or embarrass him. Them.

Freed didn't have any complaints when Laxus suggested to go to a darker and secluded room of the club, one that was actually supposed to be for the boss and his staff only. The blond could make an exception for the man he was dating. Ah man, it even sounded weird in his own mind still, Laxus thought. _The man he was dating._

The green-haired waiter had no idea that Laxus dealt with some inner jealousy but he knew that he himself thought that he would be having the same problem before they got here. Cana and Laxus really seemed to have a special bond, a good friendship for sure, though after he conversed with the brunette and watched her some more these doubts seem to fade away almost completely. What a stupid thought this was anyway. He might as well accuse anyone of wanting to ruin his dates if he started thinking like this.

Shaking his head Freed's lips took on the shape of a smile. He'd found out a bit more about the blond man and he wanted to keep learning more and more and more.

At the sudden mention of a certain man however, a familiar deal of awkwardness returned. He debated on whether to confess this or not since he still wasn't sure whether Laxus already knew about it or not - but after all he gave a weak chuckle and mumbled, looking at him straightly. "So, um… you don't have to introduce me to your best friend actually. He visited Café Strauss the… the day before our… date at the Saber restaurant."

What he surely wasn't going to tell was what exactly Bixlow had said to him that day. All the statements about Laxus being nervous as well because Freed was pretty sure that the blond wouldn't feel comfortable with it.

To his positive astonishment though Laxus nodded. "Yea, this brat told me one day after." He snorted but didn't appear to be mad. He himself had a part he kept secret - namely that Bixlow explained that he just wanted take another look at _'the man he was crushing on so obviously'_. Brat.

"Oh…" That was pretty much all Freed responded for a moment. He smiled to himself being somewhat glad about Laxus' answer, and then he glanced up at the blond once more. "He seems like a good guy, though."

Freed had heard Laxus talking about him like this - that he is a brat and can be really annoying. The greenet wasn't going to object against it, though not only because he basically had no right to - ha barely knew this man - but for from what impression Bixlow left he looked like he honestly cared about his best friend. So Laxus' anwer didn't astonish him.

"He is." That was all he admitted but so much sincerity wafted from his voice that this was enough of a reply by far. Bixlow was one crazy man, had his own irks but who didn't? Laxus was damn glad to call him his best friend, was thankful that he was there when no one else was. Basically Bixlow was his favorite pain in the ass.

"And Cana… I think I can comprehend even better what you mean now." Granted granted, he'd only spent a half evening with the lady bartender but Freed felt like she was a highly honest soul and wouldn't change her behavior just because her boss had some special visitor.

 _Special visitor…_ The waiter felt his cheeks heat up for another time of this day. It was more like warmth, complacent warmth that spread over his face as the thought of him being special in such a way to someone crossed his mind yet again. _Maybe._

"So?" Laxus had to chuckle at this. Cana could be scaring to some because of her particular straightforwardness and butal honesty. This woman really didn't blew smoke and Laxus preferred it this way even though many awkward situation or even arguments got created due to her character in the past. He rather had a friend like her by his side than one who lied about everything just to make everything perfect. "Glad ya do. We now each other for some years."

Cana didn't have an easy childhood either. Laxus remembered when he saw her sitting in his grandpa's house all of a sudden. She looked so sad, was so lost and at this point he would never have imagined that she would become woman she was today.

Much like Erza. The blond wondered when the redhead would return from her journey. While Cana filled the position of his female buddy Erza was almost like a younger sister to him. He'd witnessed how his grandfather had taken care of both of them in their hard times so it was probably not much of a wonder that he felt about the like he did.

Freed nodded once more. Laxus did sincerely seem as if Cana was a very good friend of his and he honestly didn't want to ruin anything just because questionable thought about him and the brunette might happen.

The following moments were dominated by silence. Again it did not feel much like an awkward silence and this was just another point both men appreciated without actually telling the other. More or less obvious roaming gazes transpired but none of the two men moved from where they were standing in front of each other.

The room was small and forcing himself not to look at Laxus all the time Freed began to scan these four walls anew. He couldn't exactly figure out what kind of room this was - it somewhat looked like a small storage room… without actual stock. The greenet decided that it wasn't something important he had to ask about right now, however.

Instead he gave a delayed mumbled reply, seemingly more to himself than to the club manager, and appeared to be a little absorbed in thought. "I'm sure she's a great person…"

Laxus hadn't expected him to react to the previous conversation topic once more after both of them had fallen silent so all he did was to agree quietly while he got something out of his trouser pocket.

Freed was back to watching the blond constantly, a soft frown forming itself on his features as he observed how Laxus fetched a cigarette out of his pocket. It was just weird that he didn't seem to recognize it and the slightly conflicted expression Laxus spotted on the shorter man's face did make him wonder.

"…I guess ya don't smoke?" If Freed wasn't comfortable with him smoking in here then he would probably suggest to go outside or leave it be altogether. He didn't _need_ it but felt like it nonetheless.

"I don't." Freed still sounded absent-minded as he responded, the man's greenish blue eyes still fixed on Laxus' trouser pocket what increased the wonder on Laxus' own face. Was something wrong? He was almost about to just put the cigarette away even though he normally wouldn't care much about anyone else's input or complaints but the sdden anew sound of Freed's voice made him blink.

"Laxus?"

Finally those eyes of a piercing cyan shade found the blond's electrifying orange ones. Not only the expression on the greenet's face caused Laxus confusion anymore but now it was the tone of the other's voice as well. It nearly sounded as if he was asking for something, asking for permission and if he didn't know it better he now recognized struggle on Freed's features.

Before he could give his reply however, Laxus got confronted with a blast of confusion himself. All of it caused by one single move.

Freed knew his mind must have went blank this moment, or he just successfully managed to space out every single thought of his. That he even got the courage to do this. Was it courage? Was it stupidity? Something told him that he would regret doing this greatly but there was this tiny spark that screamed to just go for it. Take Ever's advice after all.

This spark was intense enough to make him lean up enough so he could bring his own lips into contact with Laxus'. His eyes were squeezed shut almost painfully at this moment and he felt as though his heart skipped a beat or more. The contact was just him pressing his lips up to the blond's, he barely even moved them for the kiss, and kept his hands to himself entirely.

One moment passed. And Freed noticed Laxus did not respond, did not react at all.

But there was a simple reason behind it. The blond was utterly shocked, eyes widened as he stared at the green-haired man who had his eyes closed. He didn't know what to do, hell he'd never actually expected that _this_ would happen so soon! That Freed would just lean up and catch his lips with his own!

The shock let Laxus fail to realize how hard his own heart was bumping against his ribcage, fingers tensed to fists. The blond didn't withdraw. He didn't respond either but didn't pull away. He didn't find himself capable of doing anything else but staring.

 _He does not respond! Pull away you idiot! What even are you doing?!_ The sudden screams in his own head nearly let the greenet gasp but his inner protest finally snapped him out of this crazy move and he withdrew abruptly.

Casting his eyes open he instantly backed away a couple of steps until his back was facing the door. He was gaping and shaking his head as if wanting to express that he didn't know what just happened and that he was going to apologize once he found his voice again. Suddenly it was so incredibly hard to face the blond.

"The hell…" Laxus didn't yell, didn't sound too enraged about this move. Those two uttered words were touched by the same confusion still rather than any upset and his look was a soft glare, still trying to process what just happened. A man kissed him. _Freed_ kissed him.

"I- Ah this wasn't - I'm sorry!" Now despair was clearly dripping from Freed's voice and he got a little louder with each word he released as he finally knew how to talk again even if his sentences were a bit broken. He was pretty sure that he hadn't done much thinking and right now all he felt was embarrassment and a weird kind of fear. He feared rejection and that he might have messed it up with this sudden urge. "This won't happen again, I-"

Laxus just couldn't stop gazing. His head hurt from all the messed up thoughts and he had struggles suppressing a growl. He only seemed to react a bit more actively when Freed suddenly turned around and reached for the door knob.

 _He wanted to leave?_ This was not what Laxus wanted either! He was about to speak his objection even though he was confused as hell but one mere heartbeat later it was all about to go into another direction anyway…

Just as Freed wanted to open the door someone slammed it open and caused the hard material to bump right against the green-haired man's face making him topple back and fall.

"Yo Sparky, Gajeel said that— " Cana abruptly stopped once she spotted the green-haired man lying on the floor. _Knocked out_. From her sudden move. "What—"

Her brown eyes tried to comprehend the scene. Laxus appearing to be entirely shocked, what now only intensified. Freed lying on the room's floor. And she may not know of what had happened in here moments before but what she now realized was that this noise was the one of the door crashing against the greenet.

"Oh shit– " Her previous intention got shoved away and she glanced to and fro between Laxus and Freed, sddenly looking extremely guilty. And it took the club manager some time before he too finally woke from his frozen state and rushed towards hers and Freed's side, hissing loudly.

" _Fuck!_ "

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 **There we have it. According to my mental notes this honestly wasn't supposed to happen in this chapter and the first kiss also wasn't supposed to end like this. OOPS. I hope you liked it though! Guess there some more confusion ahead but let's see.**

 **Another announcement - I'll will take a small break in December, meaning that I won't be updating every week but every second week! So the next chap will presumably be here on December 11th, pls don't hate me aaahh!**

 **OtakuPrincess010 - Thank you so much I hope I'll manage to keep the story interesting gahh. And yes! I love Cana brotps, like honestly. I do ship her romantically with quite a few people actually but the brotps with her are the best.**

 **Greetings and love you all**


	14. Watching over him

**Here it finally is, chapter 14! For those who follow this story and didn't read the oneshot I recently uploaded ( 'Marry the Dark' ) I want to say apologize again! I said that I planned on updating way earlier but December was a quite busy month and my motivation was very low, so sorry for that! I'm back now though and I definitely want to keep this story going, so I'll do my very best to try and update every week again or at least every second week!**

 **Apart from this, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 3 And I also hope that all of you have been doing alright and had great Christmas days if you celebrated it!**

 **Thanks a lot for your patience, your support and reviews! 3 So here we go again!**

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He had no idea if this was a good decision or not… but he could impossibly have left him somewhere else, so here Laxus was once again gazing at the green-haired man who still wasn't awake. The surface of the door really must have hit him very badly so all Cana and the manager could do was to try and cool the spot while getting the man away from the floor of the Club's room.

While doing so he learned one more thing about Freed. This guy was heavier than he looked like and the blond guessed that his swordsmanship training was the main reason for it. His body was slim, his arms a good deal more slender than his Laxus' but apparently with most of it being pure muscles.

But this discovery hardly assisted him now, nor did his mind. Waiting and the silence surrounding him, it was torture and nothing else. His thoughts ran off the track constantly forcing him to mull over what transpired before Cana stormed into the room at his Club. _The kiss._

Cana and Laxus found Freed's phone in his trouser pocket but of course it was locked so they couldn't contact any of his friends. The blond somehow didn't want to leave him here either though, so in his mind there was one single option left since he had no clue where Freed's house was located.

Thus here he was, with the green-haired waiter lying on the couch of his own living room.

Laxus barely ever showed anyone where he lived. He was a very _very_ private person, or rather…he'd _become_ one as the years went by. The only people who visited him occasionally were Bixlow, who was the only one who had a key which was actually meant for emergency cases but needless to say the blue-haired man used it for casual visits as well, and his grandfather, Makarov. At times Gajeel or Cana but that was very rare. Most of the time he went to meet them somewhere, or they saw each other at the Donnerhall.

After some more desperate cursing and cooling he had told Cana to go and help Gajeel take care of whatever issue he had before heaving the waiter up and carrying him out of the Club and straight to his home. Definitely one of the moments Laxus was glad that he lived near the building. Ah yes, it had been a good decision…

He was sure that Freed would be perfectly fine. It was a very unlucky situation but nothing serious, he hoped. What he was highly insecure about however was what would be after the greenet woke up. The kiss… Laxus wasn't able to handle it yet. Something inside of him protested, something that was part of the barrier that kept him from returning the gesture as he suddenly felt Freed's lips brush against his own.

Laxus frowned. His eyes laid on the motionless figure on his couch whilst he himself was sitting on a chair he'd gotten out of the kitchen. And how would Freed react once he woke up? Would he remember what happened? If not, should he tell the greenet what happened? Should he lie to avoid awkwardness? And if he remembered, then what would they do next?

There were a few ways this situation could go but at the moment Laxus couldn't think of one single positive one…

Silently he looked over at his phone before he took it and gazed at the screen. Some new messages, and of course they would be from Cana. The brunette had apologized immediately and reassured him that everything would be alright.

Laxus didn't want to tell her yet because he himself hadn't even processed this happening entirely yet, but in a frantic moment he blurted out that Freed had kissed him and for a long moment Cana had just stared at him.

She didn't say anything or commented. Instead what she did was to proceed and try to wake the green-haired male, noticing that despite the blond's attempts to get back his cool facade he had serious inward struggles.

He was thankful that she kept quiet but he also knew that soon she would probably be bombarding her with questions.

What about Bixlow? Should he tell him? Laxus' frown deepened as he thought more about this entire issue, gaze mindlessly wandering over Freed's motionless form still.

When serious Bixlow could give great advice. He was honest and had a talent for seeing situations out of different views which usually helped a lot while Laxus had some difficulties to put himself in someone else's shoes.

His digits twitched but at last he ended up putting his phone aside again. He would think about it some more before telling anyone else about what transpired.

He was not ready yet, was he? God, when was the last time he had to think about such stuff? Did he ever even have been in such a situation? What even was his situation? A crush? On a man? In love? Not him, right? …

…and if yes, then why was he fighting against it so much? Because love was something he'd forced himself to banish out of his own feelings at some point?

He had Makarov… but it wasn't the same as having caring parents. When he needed his mother and father the most they weren't there. Laxus couldn't blame his mother, in fact he even missed her at times. She died at such a young age… But his father? No, this had never been his father. Screw blood relation. He hated this man with every fibre of his being.

Now he had more acquaintances again. People he cared about a lot. His best friend, his grandfather, his staff and friends…and…this green-haired man.

But was he ready for something like a romantic relationship? Not even his sexual desires had been all too strong during the past years. Some flirting for his own ego here and there and…there was this one woman but apart from this, her? Nothing, and most of all never something serious and something that affected him in a high sense.

He was damn 23 years old so why did this subject make him feel like a helpless child? He hated it, and even more that there didn't seem to be a solution. This damn kiss didn't help beside the fact that… Would he have returned it if he was less surprised?

Probably not. He just needed more time.

Sighing Laxus leaned back in the wooden chair, only now noticing that he had gotten slight headaches. He had most likely frowned for too long but who wouldn't have a messy mind after such an occurrence, right? Nothing unusual.

The blond looked aside as he took note of a faint light next to him. It turned out that Bixlow attempted to call him and it instantly made him wonder if, maybe, Cana had told him anything about the kiss and the accident after it.

Of course he had told Cana not to tell anyone else about it and he would be mad if she did it despite of his prohibition. Then again Bixlow was his best friend and moments before he had considered to let him in on the situation.

Still, no. He could handle it on his own for now. What could anyone do for him anyway? This was his mind and his own decisions he had to deal with. Once Freed woke up he would just ask him how he was feeling and offer him to call one of his friends for him. Like hell would he let him drive with something, not if there was the possibility of subsequent secondary effects of the injury.

Not that Laxus would say it like that…

Silently he waited until the calling light and sound broke. Man, Bixlow was being stubborn as always… Or perhaps even more stubborn than as usual. So did he know? He'd learn about this later.

Now Laxus grumbled to himself while rubbing his cheek, standing up as he needed something to drink. He disliked how one single person could cause him such struggles. Sure, he couldn't deny it… he had at least one kind of interest in him, otherwise he wouldn't have visited the Strauss Café for a fairly long time. Something about the waiter was…intriguing. Interesting. He was _different_.

And now he practically knew that Freed felt the same unless the kiss was just a…spontaneous and confused action, and he… he couldn't give it back. Yet?

Just as he was about to enter his small kitchen ( he never complained, his small apartment was more than enough for himself only… and occasional visits from Bix ) he heard a noise that caused him to freeze in his track in an instant.

A faint cough and then a sound of somebody subtly clearing his throat. Of course it could only be one person, and only the thought awoke slight panic inside of the Club manager. He tried to force it back before it could surface but didn't turn around yet to find a possibly awoken green-haired man.

"I…I'm sorry…"

Laxus had to blink. The voice he heard was a little drowsy but definitely Freed's. Right, how could it be otherwise? But what he said was… He just woke up and _apologized_?!

"Shut the hell up and stay where you are," Laxus grumbled silently but audible.

So the waiter must have noticed that he was somewhere else… or he just didn't care knowing that he was with Laxus still. And most importantly… he remembered. Why else would he apologize? But Laxus didn't want him to, it only made him feel even worse.

Freed still felt a little dizzy, eyes narrowed as he still laid there motionless. No more words got spilled as he obeyed silently and just kept his mouth shut. Oh he remembered. He remembered what he did and that he didn't get a response. Then he remembered pain. And now he woke up here on this couch and he guessed that this must be Laxus home.

It was good that he couldn't see the blond right now but the amount of awkwardness and regret he felt was more than enough nevertheless. He now knew that it was a fault to just go ahead and kiss the blond Club manager, and maybe the door that knocked him out was just another sign of confirmation or something like that.

Maybe it just shouldn't be. Or he was beginning to overthink things now.

The silence stayed and Laxus was still standing where he had halted as he heard Freed's low voice. He too was glad that he didn't have to look at him right now but he knew that he had to do so in a few moments. He would just try to change the topic as far as possible so at first he went to grab a glass of water for the other and one for himself as he finally stepped into the kitchen.

Staring holes into the ceiling seemed like a good thing to do while the waiter nervously awaited Laxus' return. And in fact the only thing he dared to do. He might as well close his eyes but pretending that he fell asleep surely wouldn't work out. And leaving? …he could walk home. He didn't want to bother Laxus more.

"Here."

Freed almost jumped up at the anew sound of this deep voice. It was nearer now and when he turned his head and snapped out of his thoughts it took him a moment till he'd processed what Laxus was holding towards him.

Almost hesitantly he took the big glass of water, sitting up, and nodded. "Thank you…" But his gaze was still strictly averted and direct eye-contact avoided.

Laxus noticed it. It revealed that Freed most likely felt similar like him, perhaps in a slightly different manner. On the one hand he was glad that the greenet didn't approach the kiss topic straightforwardly but on the other hand both of them probably noticed the thick awkwardness that hang in the air so clearly.

Scratching the back of his head briefly the blond seated himself on the chair that was placed in front of the couch again. Only then he realized that it might be weird for Freed to noticed that apparently Laxus had sat in front of him the entire time.

Part of him just truly worried. Though it was another thing he couldn't and didn't want to state like that. Not yet. It was like the day he thought Freed might have had an accident. He'd been worrying like hell.

"I've wanted to message one of yer friends but couldn't get to one of yer contacts… That's why I brought ya here. Couldn't leave ya there," Laxus explained trying to seem calm and collected what he hopefully managed. He didn't dare to directly ask whether Freed remembered every single detail.

He could talk about anything, anything except for the kiss right now.

Laxus held his glass of water gripped tightly while watching how Freed stared into his own glass in tense quiet.

What both of them had always appreciated was that there had never been too much awkwardness, not even when there was silence instead of conversation. Now it was so much different.

"But I guess ya would wanna go home soon…," Laxus continued a bit hesitantly knowing that Freed was listening even if it didn't seem like it. "So um…here." With his other hand the blond man handed the greenet his phone so he could message or call one of his friends.

Freed took it without looking up. He drank a bit of his water but then finally glanced up and held the glass towards the other. "I'm…still feeling a bit dizzy, sorry. Thank you for the water, I…will message Ever right now so she can pick me up. I don't want to be a bother, it's already enough that you took me here. I apologize for the troubles."

If the circumstances would be different than Laxus would have growled a 'can you stop talking bullshit' now. The green-haired man was obviously striving for a stoic expression but once again Laxus noticed that there was something in his greenish blue eyes that gave him away a little.

The Club manager didn't know what to reply. All he did was to nod. Everything that laid on the tip of his tongue probably tended to make the situation even worse so he let Freed message someone to come and pick him up like he said.

But wait…this meant that yet another persons was going to know where he lived and Laxus wasn't sure if he wanted this. Though maybe… if he was really going to figure out a…thing with Freed at some point then he would also be in connection with his best friend. And from what he knew his best friend was Ever. _Evergreen_ , for him.

Apparently Freed now realized the same thing.

He looked up from the display of his phone, fingers stopping to type the message as he noticed that a piece of important information was missing.

"I…need your address."

"Yea…" Laxus nodded again and looked at the two glasses he was holding in his grips before meeting the other's eyes, telling himself not to be such an idiot and at least try his best to act like nothing happened. Nothing at all. "It's-"

"Or I could walk over to your Club…if that's a better idea…"

Freed had already noticed that Laxus was a very private person as it took said man some time to give him his last name. He just really didn't want to mess up more than he already had. To him it was a wonder that the blond even took him here, to his home. Especially after his rushed move. He dearly hoped that he hadn't caused too much inconvenience.

He knew little about the blond's sexuality although he had always guessed that he wasn't gay, most likely didn't even have a preference for men like he himself had. Maybe Laxus was still not sure? After all it had taken Freed some time too until he noticed he was a good deal more attracted to men than to women.

But with the kiss he had crossed a line.

He knew that he would find out where he was anyway if he chose to walk to the Club. He had to know where he was, Though perhaps it was better to wait over there then cause more awkwardness here, and maybe it made Laxus feel better if he didn't have to directly tell his address.

Did this sound weird and like a bad excuse?

…yes, definitely.

Laxus was frowning yet again. He was able to assume a tiny part of what could be going on in the greenet's mind. To accept his offer or stubbornly insist that he stayed here, giving him his address? The easy but awkward way? Then again both was pretty awkward and resulting into pretty much the same.

Yet…Yet…

"Yea, ya could do that too… Maybe 's easier to find. The way from here to the Donnerhall isn't so hard, though." Once his answer was out he immediately regretted it as he saw how Freed's lips turned into a small but somehow sad smile.

"That would be great. Thanks, Laxus."

The conversation was slowly turning into a forced one, a fact both of them hated. The awkwardness got ignored desperately but what they were attempting right now, to ignore the facts and try for a usual talk so hard, really wasn't better.

And now Freed was thanking him again. Narrowing his eyes a little, orange eyes becoming a bit harder, the blond nodded before he told him his address and watched how the greenet finished messaging Evergreen.

Laxus shrugged. "And stop thankin' me. Ya didn't have a jacket, right?"

"No," Freed responded and shook his head lightly. He sat up straight, stroking the spot on his forehead a bit before gaining back the seemingly forced smile. "That was a stupid incident. Sorry again, I didn't want to upset anyone." He clearly didn't only mean the accident with the door, that was impossible to miss, and as Laxus watched the waiter slowly getting up he finally raised from his seat as well but only to put away the glasses.

Once Freed had left Laxus needed painkillers…and something to clear up his damn mind.

"Ever will be here in a few moments," the greenet commented observing the other putting the two glasses on the table in the small living room. "I…will find the door by myself I think."

Laxus hesitated but then nodded slowly.

Freed nodded in return despite knowing that Laxus couldn't see it.

One unspoken question was hanging in the air. For a moment all Freed did was to stand there and gaze at the taller man's back. Neither of them could stand how the current situation developed but at this very moment there was nothing else they could do.

 _Apart from addressing the topic clearly like damn adult men_ , both of the males thought before Freed turned at last and walked towards the door he assumed must be the front door.

Laxus just listened in silence, fingers slowly curling into fists. He could do at least this much, and perhaps indirectly answer the question that was lingering.

"…message me once ya have arrived home."

The voice cut through the tense air clearly and let Freed pause, his hand already placed on the door knob. There was another short while of silence but Laxus knew that Freed still wasn't gone, and he knew that he had heard him.

Then finally, and again despite knowing that Laxus wouldn't see, the greenet nodded with the tiniest of smiles. This time a little less forced one. "I will."

Then he went outside.

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 **That's it again for now! I'm not quite sure how it will continue. I've a couple of ideas in mind but haven't decided yet - so it'll be a surprise for me, too. Let's see how these two dorks handle it.**

 **Oh, also always feel free to contact me on tumblr! It's where I'm online the most, so it's easier to catch me on . or . !**

 **Greetings, Sel 3**


	15. You just have to keep going

**Aaaaaand chapter 15 is up! Fair warning that I'm most likel to update every two weeks instead of every week and I'm sorry for that but I hope you all understand and will keep following this story nonetheless! ;w; I#m rather satisfied with how this chapter came out so I hope you are going to like it too! More confusion or more clarity? Let's see!**

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Freed arrived home fairly late the last evening. Ever picked him up as promised and needless to say she'd been worrying when he told her what happened. He didn't tell her about the kiss yet… The issue that was his actual problem. The woman also offered to stay at his apartment for the night in case there would be unexpected after-effects but the waiter just waved it off.

So the next morning he woke up alone but with headaches and still the same problem.

He could have slept in since it was one of his free days but his mind was too occupied. He'd barely been able to sleep for the same reason that kept his thoughts so unorganized, something a cup of morning coffee sure as hell wasn't able to fix. But as Freed sat there in his kitchen he decided that he did need to vent and that he shouldn't ignore this need this time.

Now the question was, who should he go talk to? Ever had a date with Elfman, that's what she told him last night. He told her that she should stop talking bullshit when she offered to postpone her date for him since she thought that he looked pretty upset for some reason. Of course that was not necessary! So he could impossibly go disturb her date apart from the fact that he had failed to ask where they were gonna be anyway.

Who else could he possibly talk to? Lisanna? Mira?

xxx xxx

"Freed dear, it's not like you to come talk about something that upsets you of your own accord." Mira gave him a partly worried and partly curious look while she handled two trays as she returned to the bar where Freed was sitting on one of the stools. Not as a work mate but as a friend and customer.

The female was correct with what she stated. Usually he would try to solve any problem on his own before approaching somebody else for assistance or advice. Usually someone else needed to pick his brains until they even got to know what the problem was. So now seeing the green-haired man sitting here, on top of that during her work time, was in fact especially quizzical in its own way.

"Am I bothering?" He asked seeing that the café was well visited again. "You seem to be very busy, I wouldn't want to disturb."

Oh, so maybe he was still insecure about actually approaching her for whatever the issue was. But nope, there was absolutely no chance that she would let him go again now.

Mira firmly shook his head as she placed both trays on the counter. "No, it's fine. So what is bothering you?"

Okay, time to let the cat out of the bag. _How?_ Tell her what exactly he was upset about and leaving out what happened before and after or telling her the entire story?

Sighing Freed decided that there would probably be one main thing the woman would be focusing about anyway and it would be the exact thing he was so insecure about now.

Alright then. Let's go.

Facing away from her with his hands resting on the counter Freed pursed his lips, then took another breath before he glanced back up and spluttered it out. "I kissed Laxus."

Mirajane's deep blue eyes went wide as she processed the single words and for a moment Freed feared that they would jump out of her face. As round as a ball. Did she remember who Laxus was? Though even if she didn't she would most likely freak out because he kissed someone.

It was silent still and it was slightly awkward, he had to admit.

But then there was a loud enthusiastic squeak that nearly made him jump from his bar stool and his hair stick up and the man had to watch how Mira bounced on the spot shortly. "You kissed him!"

This… Well _this_ was one of the moments he wished he had at least one male friend that was as close to him as Ever or Mira were. He could impossibly casually approach Rogue with this topic, or Rufus. Elfman? No, that would be too awkward either even though he was a really kind guy and would probably not mind at all. When he wasn't on a date, that is.

Hence there wasn't really a guy friend he could share this with. So now he had to deal with Mira's heart eyes and little heart attack, at least for a moment. He knew she would regain her composure quickly knowing that it was a serious issue and actual problem otherwise he would hardly be upset after all, right?

It was awkward nonetheless and painted Freed's cheeks in a bright crimson color.

Finally clearing his throat the greenet nodded. "Yea…"

In fact Mira's cheerful and excited expression slowly faded as she realized, _something was wrong_. Something was wrong and maybe there was no reason to be happy at all.

Her wide blue eyes fixed on him, a silent encouragement to continue, Freed sighed again. "…and he didn't kiss back."

"…oh." Instant empathy slid onto the barmaid's face, her head dropping slightly for a moment. She now knew that she had been far too early with her reaction and as she thought about it it made her feel a little bad. So Freed kissed his date and he didn't return it? "Maybe he's just shy or…not ready."

"Shy?" Freed looked at her, a bitter quiet laugh escaping him. "I don't think it's that. I… Actually I don't know anything at all."

"It did take him some time until he messaged you, didn't it?" She couldn't stand seeing her friend like this but there wasn't much she could do either. Comfort him, try to give advice… that was what she could do and always would if necessary.

It was true what she said but Laxus seemed very shocked the evening before when this stupid moment of special courage got him to kiss him just like that, out of the blue. They hadn't even been dating for all too long! And all the times Laxus had been there at the Café Strauss surely didn't count. "Yes but… Mira, I just don't know what to do now."

Freed hated to admit it but he knew that he wouldn't be able to handle this huge insecurity by himself. Insecurity, confusion, being in need for help… he hated it all.

"What did he do? What did he say?" Mira looked through the room to see if any customer wanted to pay or maybe in need of another drink though as soon as she'd made sure that this was not the case she set her focus back on the green-haired man. "What happened afterwards?"

"Afterwards?" Another curve on his lips but it was as bitter as the quiet laughing sound that had escaped him heartbeats ago. "I tried to apologize…" Ah he was pretty sure he must have been stuttering and spluttering… And then his lights went out.

Freed told Mira everything he could, which admittedly wasn't all too much. He remembered how surprised he had been when he realized that he was lying on a comfortable couch which didn't belong to his own home. So Laxus had taken him with him… For what reason? They surely must have a room with a cot somewhere at the Club? Maybe it would have been less awkward if someone else looked over him and waited for him to wake up…

Though then again it did give him a slightly good feeling that Laxus made it his task to watch and be with him.

Still, the problem was present and he was completely clueless for once.

"I just don't know what I am supposed to do now," the male sighed and gratefully accepted the cup of coffee Mira shoved towards him. "He wanted me to message him once I'm home. I did. But we didn't write much after that."

Somehow this revelation seemed to lighten the white-haired beauty's mood, however. She shortly tapped her lips before then beaming at Freed. "Well Freed do you think he would say something like this just to be polite or comforting?"

Freed thought about it for a moment. His mind had been so messy and disorganized that he'd barely have a chance to think anything through. On top of that his head still occasionally hurt. Goddammit. But that really was his smallest problem.

He was confused. Angry at himself. Helpless. And most of all, hopelessly in love.

"I…" He frowned, blankly staring at the liquid in the cup. He embraced it with one hand, feeling the warmth beneath his palm, gaze detaching from it thoughtfully. Maybe Mira had a point. Maybe Laxus told him to message him so they wouldn't lose connection because of this awkwardness or this…this dumb rushed kiss. "I think perhaps…perhaps you are right."

Mirajane nodded, a contented smile on her visage. "Good." She pointed at the coffee, gesturing for him to drink something before she leaned over the counter a bit more causing Freed to blink as she was suddenly so close.

"Do you know what I think you should do?"

Freed blinked again, but then nodded slowly. "That's…why I came here in the first place."

"Stay on the ball. Stay in touch with him. That's what I think you should do." Mira withdrew and collected a few cups she had prepared placing them on a tray as she turned a little, ready to leave and not giving Freed a chance to protest. "Now you will drink up your coffee dear and then you will either message him or look if he's at the Club."

"But I-"

The look he received was enough to cut him off.

Then he sighed and watched how Mira left to dish out the orders, sending one last encouraging wink towards him.

…right. He should. There was no chickening out now.

"Mira! I'm taking two coffee to gos along and pay later," Freed shouted at last with a determined expression before quickly going behind the bar to get the two said coffees.

He had a Club to visit.

xxx xxx

"Dude." Bixlow kept gesturing at him, almost passionately. "It's not that hard."

And Laxus, Laxus just grunted occasionally as he listened. Maybe he shouldn't have told Bixlow yet after all. Maybe he should have kept it to himself and tried to find a solution on his own. On the other hand he knew that his best friend could have not so bad advice when discussing a thoroughly serious issue…so perhaps he should put his entire trust in him since his own mind was quite obviously having troubles to process the entire situation and his feelings.

"Ya liked the kiss, ya go kiss him again."

The blond sighed at that. Yea, that was the basis, Bixlow had repeated this a few times now. But the problem was, he wasn't sure whether he liked the kiss or not. He was too overwhelmed and caught off guard to deal with it which was the main reason why he didn't react it all. He didn't kiss back but didn't push Freed away either.

It was just…weird.

Standing up from his chair Laxus looked around without aim. The two men were standing in the small office he had arranged in the Donnerhall Club. He needed distraction so he went here earlier than usual, and he had decided to call Bixlow at last which was why he was here with him now and discussing this matter.

Laxus had told him the entire story and for a moment the blond honestly thought Bixlow was about to scold him for not kissing back. It was odd. It was like everyone else seemed to see something he didn't.

"Dunno…'s not that simple." There was an unintended wave of exasperation in Laxus' voice, triggered by his own insecurity and confusion. "'cause I just don't know."

"Then do it again." Bix casually let himself flop down on the boss' chair, hurling one of his legs up to rest it on the desk's surface. It earned him a tiny glare form his friend but he still didn't shift. "Maybe ya'll have a clearer view on it if you're the one initiatin' it."

This suggestion arose a fear in him Laxus himself didn't believe at first _. 'What if Freed actually does feel something for me…then I kiss him but find out I don't like it and then I made it all worse?'_ It made him pull a deep frown as he stared at the wall before him, back turned on his best friend so he wouldn't see his doubtful expression.

More often than not he couldn't care less about what other people wanted to hear, politeness or such shit. He spoke what was on his mind even if it could sound harsh. Honesty, the truth…could hurt sometimes.

And right as he thought that he realized that… Freed deserved the truth. The full truth. If he ended up deciding that he didn't like all of this, that he was not in love with the greenet after all then Freed deserved to know it so he could attempt to let it go.

But even if he decided to go with Bixlow's plan… "How? How am I even supposed to do this?" Laxus turned around to face him again, glaring once more as he saw that by now both Bixlow's feet were placed on the desk casually. "Get your feet off my-"

"Do what? Kiss the guy?" His best friend interrupted him, not planning on shifting his position. "C'mon big boss, are ya tryin' to tell me that ya don't know how kissin' works?"

Laxus hissed. "No of course I know how it works."

"Do I have to explain the steps-"

"No, Bixlow, for God's sake shut your trap." Dammit. It was just…he'd never once really _felt_ something while kissing someone. Nothing close to…love. Or any _warm_ feeling, really.

"Then what's so hard about it?" Bixlow kept asking and, to Laxus' contentment, slid his legs off the desk. "Just go for it. He did, too, didn't he?"

 _'Yea, he had more damn fuckin' courage than I have right now'_ , Laxus thought to himself but managed to keep in the frustrated grumbles that were lingering in the back of his throat. Little did he know that Freed didn't think of it as courage at all, but stupidity instead.

What was he supposed to to? Just go grab the next possibility and run with it? What if it was really just an accident and Freed just did something very rushed?

 _'Okay Dreyar now you're making up bullshit so you can wimp out'_ , he mulled and stepped back to the desk where he halted in front of it looking down at his friend. "So ya really think I should just…kiss him?" Man this would be weird, wouldn't it… But it was true that he had to find out more about his feelings for the other. He was so damn insecure.

"That's what ya could." The blue-haired man nodded, hanging loosely in the chair now what looked rather hilarious. It almost distorted the impression that this was in fact a very serious conversation. But Laxus was used to it. "Or ya could just go on and spend more time with him until ya do somethin'." Bixlow wasn't being oblivious. He could see and feel that Laxus was sincerely upset and confused. This situation was kinda new to him as well but as his best friend he would of course help him as much as possible.

"Huh…" Sounded plausible. Spending more time, then judging. Laxus merely feared that there would always be a small cloud of awkwardness accompanying them. "Maybe, yea," he then hesitantly agreed.

"Lax, look. If the guy is really in love with you then you will know it. He didn't seem like the type to jus' play with someone."

Laxus knew this. At least he thought he did.

"If he loves ya, he'll be sincere with ya."

Love… There was so much more to the problem than just that…well, truth to be told – that he never thought he could get attracted to a guy. True, and he could repeat it every time, there hasn't been going on much with women either but… Argh, he just really didn't know anything.

Could someone really _love_ him?

 _xx_

 _"_ _Laxus, if you go through that door now I swear that you will be alone forever."_

 _Laxus didn't turn around once more, his hand already wrapped around the door knob of his house's front door. Forever alone? Oh no, he surely wouldn't be the one-_

 _"_ _You will never be loved again if you don't have me anymore. I always wanted the best for you, son. Now you go to deceive me and if you leave now you will be on your own. No one will take care of you like me."_

 _The words rang in his ears heavily, his grip around the door knob tightening._

 _"_ _Forever alone, Laxus. Think about it well. Don't be stupid. If you go now-"_

 _"_ _You know shit!" A loud growl escaped the blond and he looked back over his shoulder, gaze so intense that it almost seemed as if sparks of ire would emit from them. And before he knew it, he had escaped through the door and slammed it shut. Away from his Dad, this fucking toxic person, this life._

 _xx_

"Bullshit " Laxus didn't notice he was gritting his teeth and clenching his fists until Bixlow waved the hand in front his face.

 _Bullshit._ His father had always been telling him bullshit, nothing more. He was never alone. He had his grandfather who loved him, his friends. He was loved already, wasn't he?

"You okay there?" Bixlow had stood before him now, just receiving an absent nod at first. It worried him for a moment.

"Yea, just…"

Could he be loved in _such_ a way? Did…someone want to actually spend his life with him, as…a partner? A mate? Romantically? Fuck he didn't need this doubt now, too.

Before there was more time to worry however, the door flung open and Cana stood in the room again. Fortunately without knocking somebody out this time.

"Hey boss man, ya have a visitor. He insisted on leading him to ya, and I couldn't deny." The lady bartender grinned although it was a rather soft one. She didn't stay any longer though, but left the next moment already to reveal who was wanting Laxus' attention.

And while Bixlow grinned, Laxus looked rather astonished as he spotted the familiar face, the distinct eyes and hair.

"Freed."

"…hey." He smiled back a bit more hesitantly than usual and obviously hadn't expected to meet Bixlow here too.

"Uh hey."

Maybe… Maybe he could, after all. Maybe Freed could love him like that and maybe, maybe he could love him back.

* * *

 **I'd say they make steps into the right direction, don't they? It's funny 'cause half of the time I don't even know how it will continue. Most of the time I've two or three possibilities in my head...and sometimes it still turns out different haha.**

 ** _Love in fire_ , thank you so so much for your review! I squeaked when I read it! This support is really sweet and part of what a writer needs to continue so thank you a lot for this! 33 Oh, and I'm a dudette btw ahaha :D**

 **Greetings to you all! Stay safe and happy 3**


	16. The formation of a new squad?

**FINALLY A NEW UPDATE! I'm so sorry that I kept your waiting for so long but here it is, chapter 16! Demotivation still makes it harder to get something proper written but I honestly hope that you will enjoy this chapter after this long wait! After this I'll try to get more regular updates done again, like every second week on Friday since I'm also busy with other stuff. But aye! Thank you so much for your patience, sweet reviews, likes and follows! I love you all! 3**

* * *

"Oh, ya didn't have to bring coffee!" After a quick greeting Bixlow didn't hesitate to interrupt the short moment of awkward silence. He was no less surprised about the sudden visit but didn't bother to let it show. It was almost as if they had summoned Freed, now that they had just talked about this exact green-haired man.

"Ah yea, I thought it would-," but Freed cut himself off and his facial expression twisted into a scowl. Hey, he didn't bring the coffee for him! Though Bixlow couldn't care less as he snatched one of the coffee to gos from the other man's hand.

"Bixlow…," Laxus could only grumble. He had gone back to sit on his chair, not taking into contemplation that it might seem a bit rude. Fortunately though Freed didn't seem to take it personally or in a bad way. Well, he did have his focus on Bixlow right now anyway.

"I don't want to sound rude but the coffee was not-"

"Aw Laxus, don't you want to greet your friend properly?"

Again Freed got interrupted and with a frustrated slump of his shoulders he huffed. He could feel the faintest tint of red creeping onto his features and the confidence he had gained while heading to the Club was almost crashed entirely again. He should have taken it into account that someone else could be here… Sure, he'd thought of Cana or maybe Gajeel but he totally forgot about Bixlow. And he'd already experienced first-hand how open the man was.

Freed wasn't the only one who got ignored, though. Laxus really didn't want to give an answer to his best friend's question because he knew exactly what devilish and silly thought he had in mind.

Both Freed and Laxus had wanted to avoid awkwardness when they met the next time.

Looked like the plan had failed.

But the blond really was grateful when the greenet just let the situation be and walked towards the desk Laxus was sitting at. Initially one coffee was supposed to be for Laxus and one for himself…but Freed guessed that he could live with this outcome as well after all.

"Don't you want one?" Laxus frowned. He somehow wanted to be polite and didn't actually need a coffee right now even though he wouldn't reject it of course. But since his best friend had just freely snatched one of the drinks it was just fair to let Freed have his own.

Yet as partly expected the waiter gently shook his head. "Actually I just had one at the café. So…this is perfectly fine." He paused, shortly looking back to Bixlow who pretended to be not watching them. Nope, not at all. "I um…" Freed went back to focusing the blond in his seat, bringing a small smile back to his lips. "I thought I stop by and see how you are doing." Of course that was not everything. He's had the talk with Mira and then there were his inward struggles and the emotion-thingy. He just wanted to spend time with Laxus…and wanted to hope that he had still a chance to, perhaps, get closer to the man. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

 _No, he wasn't!_ Actually yes he did interrupt something but Laxus discovered that he didn't mind. Part of him was kind of relieved that Freed decided to visit him. Instead of an enthusiastic reply all he offered was a small shrug of his shoulders and a short 'no, yer not' before thanking Freed for the coffee. Maybe not bad idea.

"Okay, I'm glad then."

A loud cough made both Freed and Laxus focus the third man in the room. But as soon as their heads turned towards him Bixlow averted his gaze again at what the blond just grumbled, knowing what his best friend attempted to imply. He just wasn't the best at carrying on conversations or small talk, okay! And he did notice that the smile on Freed's face seemed too polite and forced! But what to say next?!

Socializing had never really been Laxus' strength. Now perhaps you could argue that he is the boss of a Club, and a quite successful one on top of that, but… close relationships? Going out for amusement? Spending much time somewhere else, not at home or at work? He was a very private person which was why only his best friend knew the things and emotions he usually tried to hide away. Not even his grandfather knew what was going on in his grandson's mind most of the time. Laxus could handle being a boss,and the duties that came with it but it was his job and job and private life were strictly to be kept from mixing up.

"…Guess I should apologize for what happened again. Y'know, in Cana's place since she-"

"Oh no no, it's fine," Freed assured quickly and saw a frown on Laxus' face. He figured that he didn't like to get interrupted, neither did he, but really there was no need to apologize again. Beside that Freed wasn't exactly eager to get back to the kiss topic just yet… "Actually she did apologize moments before when I asked her if you are here."

It was a sincere apology and Freed would even assume that the brunette lady bartender was a bit embarrassed about it. Cana's attempt to joke a little about the incident didn't keep the honesty from her words so Freed was more than willing to accept the apology. He would have one way or another. It was an accident, after all, and it wasn't like he was majorly injured.

Perhaps he should be grateful even. Who knows what would have happened if she didn't burst into the room like that. Maybe Laxus would have reacted with more anger in the end or there would have been an even higher amount of discomfort.

Still, it didn't change anything. The one-sided kiss happened. Well…it was more like a peck that lingered. But a kiss is a kiss, right?

"Oh she…did? Ah yea, good." Laxus awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, somehow not able to hold Freed's gaze for a moment longer. Instead he looked over at Bixlow who was happily sipping his coffee.

Laxus narrowed his eyes. He knew that bastard was listening and soaking in every single of his reactions even though he seemed occupied and distracted.

"It's nothing, really. Headaches and an ugly bump but if someone asks I might as well say that my fencing training is to be blamed. Maybe this explanation sounds a bit less embarrassing than to say that I got knocked out by a door." He gave a short laughter. Occasional bruises and bumps were not an exception in this business, after all, even though Freed could proudly claim that he'd become so good at mastering the art of fencing that such injuries barely ever happened anymore.

"Yea…" And suddenly Laxus wondered if he would ever see Freed fencing. He asked himself what he looked like, if his movements were as graceful as they seemed to be when he was only _walking_. He'd seen him hold a sword at the restaurant, he remembered…and he found that it did suit Freed's appearance and manner very well. He wondered what kind of expression the green-haired man would be wearing. What would he see in those greenish blue eyes?

 _He wanted to watch him fence._

But just now when the Club owner caught himself thinking such thoughts he quickly proceeded to gave himself a mental slap. Turquoise eyes were focusing him in wonder. Had Freed said something else? Or maybe…shit he should have offered him to sit down somewhere right!? Not like there was any other possibility to sit down but…Oh fuck it!

Leaning back in his chair as casually as possible Laxus gave a grunt. "So what're ya up to today?" _Smooth, Dreyar, really smooth._ He instantly earned a fake cough coming from Bixlow which the blond decided to ignore. Man, he should have kicked him out of the room…Wait, he still could.

However then Freed was answering and his entire attention drifted back to the man immediately.

"Nothing in particular, actually. It's one of my free days so I thought I stop by and…w-well to be quite honest, I had hoped that maybe you would have time. Not the entire day of course! Just…for some casual talk." _Casual talk._ Since when was he one for casual talk? It was Freed's turn to give himself a mental slap.

"Ya want to go somewhere else then," Laxus inquired tilting his head a little as he did so.

"Guys, I'm still here too, ya know-"

Yea…it was impossible to forget that Bixlow was in the room, really. Simply impossible, and perhaps this fact did contribute a little to the slight atmosphere of awkwardness that still hadn't disappeared completely.

"Ya know, if ya two wanna be alone then-"

"I really didn't want to intrude," Freed muttered noticing how warmth filled his cheeks. Being alone with Laxus again…? Just the two of them? He would love it but also wouldn't know how to act. So…so perhaps it was the better decision to stay somewhere in public and among people.

"Ya didn't," Laxus was quick to reassure and stood up from his chair, presenting his full height.

Laxus sure was tall and above average height. Freed remembered how he had tugged him down a little so he could reach his lips properly for the kiss. Either that or he would have had to lean up. He himself was good average height but Laxus was a full head taller. He didn't really mind. In fact it actually had its appeal…

Before he could get lost in those thoughts and possibly end up gazing at the blond's soft lips Freed shook his head lightly, quickly making sure to get his previous smile back in place. "That's good. But really if I ever do then don't hesitate to kick me out. It's your work place after all and you have your duties."

"Sure thing," Laxus grinned and walked around the desk and towards the door. "Bix and I were ready anyway. Right?" He shot a glance into his best friend's direction who was just innocently looking up from the coffee he'd snatched from Freed.

"Yup. Absolutely ready. Readier than ready. The readiest there is," Bixlow grinned back while knowing that actually their conversation hadn't been finished. The major points had been made though and that was what counted. Now he was curious to watch which way Laxus would go. Get his green-haired man or wait for any other signs first? "Oh and thanks for the coffee, dude. Best coffee in town I swear, and that even though I'm more of a cocoa-drinker."

Freed just rolled his eyes at this statement although he didn't doubt the truth of it. Mira's coffee recipe was the best, and her Café hadn't gotten so popular for no reason. He, he was just temporary assistance until he knew what he really wanted to do. "It's not like I bought it for you. Technically it was my coffee until you felt so free to take it."

"Ah c'mon, you made this man here happy with a free coffee!"

"And your sweet talk won't get you anywhere," Freed concluded before following Laxus assuming that he was wanting to change the place. Bixlow just gave a play-acted gasp while he too was stepping closer to the other two men finally. "Laxy, I think you've found your other grumpy half."

"Shut up." The blond was still aware that Bixlow didn't want to push him or get him in trouble. But even then his comments felt absolutely aimed and released for one certain purpose.

"I'm shipping it."

"Bixlow!" Enough was enough! While Laxus finally opened the door, facing away from Freed who seemingly tried to ignore those comments as well, Bixlow started cackling and proceeded to pat both of the men's shoulders. "Ya need to relax a little."

 _Easier said than done_ , Freed thought and didn't bother to reply to the blue-haired male's statement. He was now following Laxus to the main hall of the Club, the music now pounding around them clearly but not as loud as usual. It was rather quiet and peaceful right now since it was still early and only very few people were currently attending the Donnerhall.

It was nice. A nice place to be and chat, at this hour, Freed silently acknowledged.

"Where ya goin', Lax?"

"Lettin' Cana know I'll be out for a bit." Or maybe for a bit longer. He didn't plan anything but now that he received this possibility, still grateful that Freed actually made the first step towards him again, he had to take it. He couldn't afford being a goddamn coward now, no way.

Just after Laxus excused himself, Freed felt the vibrations of his phone in his trouser pocket. Who was calling him now? Briefly looking over at Bix he fetched the item and looked at the phone's display. _Evergreen._

The waiter quickly excused himself as well and walked away a bit. Wasn't Ever on a date with Elfman? "Ever, what's the matter," Freed asked warily after accepting the call. He hoped that nothing happened although he could hardly imagine that, whatever the issue was, it was Elfman's fault. The guy was taller and broader than Laxus but man, he was as soft as a flower. Always talking about manliness and stuff but he sure was a huge softie. Unless he became really, _really_ angry.

xxx xxx

It had turned out that Elfman was not the reason, just like expected. But he still was part on why Evergreen had called him.

Apparently Lisanna, his younger sister, needed help with something important. All Ever could tell Freed was that the animal shelter Lisanna supported was involved and after a brief discussion about whether Ever would honestly be fine with Elfman interrupting their date or not, he left. If Lisanna needed help then Ever would let him go of course but after that the woman had decided to ask how Freed was doing.

Now, after thirty more minutes had passed by, Laxus, Freed and Bixlow hadn't ended up leaving the Club after all. No, instead three became four and the new squad was sitting at the bar of the Donnerhall, chatting with each other and Cana.

Freed had asked Laxus if it would be okay for Ever to come over and neither him nor Bixlow had voiced any objections.

That's how it came to this and honestly, the atmosphere got better and almost each trace of awkwardness had vanished by now.

"So when exactly are we allowed to call ya _Ever_ and not Evergreen?"

"Who said you'll ever be allowed to? And this is the first time we're talking so what do you expect?" The light brunette female raised a brow in challenge and Freed was silently listening to the conversation between his best friend and Laxus' best friend, clearly amused.

Everyone who got to know Ever quickly learned that her temper was not to be underestimated. She was a pretty woman, with a very soft core, but one with _fire_.

Laxus had made the acquaintance of said female's temper the first time they actually talked. Freed could imagine that the two of them arguing would not end very well since Laxus seemed to have quite some obstinacy, too, but he still couldn't deny that watching them interact had been refreshing.

"His turn to burn, huh?" Laxus' voice resonated just when Freed finished his thought and when the greenet turned his head to focus the blond man who was sitting next to him he spotted a smirk that was just as amused as he felt. Nodding and giving a light-hearted, short chuckle Freed began to toy with the straw of his drink. "Mh-hm. Maybe he deserved it?"

"Not just maybe," Laxus was quick to state and grinned.

"Though I'm not sure if her temper will have a permanent effect on him. To be honest, I would assume that Ever will just end up getting frustrated over and over again."

"Probably." They were talking about Bixlow after all and Laxus had been friends with him for years. He was a jester and could be damn annoying but he sure as hell wasn't dumb and the best friend he could ask for. "But I wouldn't mind if he'd get hit every once in a while. Would be amusin'."

"I don't doubt that," Freed agreed, the chuckle still on his features. He certainly didn't want to be victim of Ever's wrath.

Sipping on his drink he listened some more to the bickering of his best friend and Laxus' best friend, every now and then squinting at the blond who was now having a talk with Cana. They laughed and joked and an odd feeling of contentment began to fill Freed.

It felt so…right. To be like this. It was so strange, after all this was the very first time the four, or five, of them were together and actually spending time with one another. But the bar was filled with teasing, laughter and amicable quarreling. And there was himself, sitting by Laxus' side.

It was amazing how quickly the atmosphere had changed all of a sudden. Both, him and Laxus, could forget the awkwardness that had been lingering for so long before and he could feel his heart skip a beat whenever he saw the Club manager smiling, smirking or laughing.

This feeling partly scared him. It was so strong and clearly present, made his stomach twist and tickle in a way he'd never experienced ever before. Freed felt so warm and happy when he was with him, and his friends, but he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

If only he knew that Laxus felt the same.

Because the blond felt weirdly at ease. Most of the last days he'd been at odds with himself as it still caused him trouble to try and figure out what exactly was going on. He could feel that there was a barrier still, in his mind. He'd discovered long before what his heart was telling him but part of him was in denial nevertheless.

Honestly…why would he, Laxus Dreyar, regularly visit a café just to see one certain man? Why had he always been so curious, yet there was not enough courage to approach this green-haired waiter. It was ridiculous and he was ashamed of his own behavior. Never would he have thought that he could possibly take interest in a man but now here he was. Torn and struggling.

But right now all of this was forgotten, or at least pushed to the back of his mind.

Time passed by so quickly that neither of them really noticed how fast the Club filled up once the later hours had arrived. They were having fun and certainly a good time. Each of them.

After Bixlow and Evergreen were done bickering Cana had actually approached the light brunette for a talk and they seemed to get along fairly well. Laxus had briefly left to have a talk with Gajeel and Freed forced himself not to look after him every now and then.

That was until Bixlow slid onto the stool next to him and nudged his shoulder.

"Missin' him already?"

Ugh, of course he would notice! Freed would definitely have to learn that even though Bixlow often seems distracted, he saw, heard and noticed _a lot_. The straightforward question caused him to freeze and stare into the empty glass that stood on the counter in front of him. Missing him? No, no!

"Why would I miss him? He's right over there," he replied trying his best to sound steady. No, he wasn't missing him. It was just…It was nice to have Laxus close to him even when they weren't even talking. Just his presence…

"Yea, right over there," Bixlow retorted with his usual smirk but Freed was definitely surprised when it suddenly vanished and the blue-haired man continued. "Freed baby, lemme tell you somethin'."

"Would you…Could you please stop with this-"

No chance. "Look, I've known Lax for years."

Now Freed fell silent, forgetting his previous attempt to protest, and Bixlow was contented when he noticed he had the waiter's utter attention, then went on. "He's never been in love. He's never had a boyfriend." He paused shortly. "Nor a girlfriend."

Freed remained silent, however the surprise ran over his face ever so clearly. A man like Laxus never had a girlfriend? How?! He was extremely good-looking, had a strong personality, and Freed was pretty sure that tons of women must be fawning on him!

"No, never." Bixlow repeated as he noticed how shocked the greenet seemed to be about this revelation. He wasn't sure how Laxus would react if he knew what he was telling the man he was dating right now, but it was not like he would reveal any more. Nothing about his general experience, nothing about his currently non-existent sex life.

But he had a date life now.

"It's always been a complicated issue for him, okay? But I can tell he's interested in ya, just still insecure about this entire thing. So basically what I'm tryna say is that you're growing important to him, yea? So whatever yer thinking, ya haven't messed up anythin'."

Freed was speechless. He hadn't expected that, in the course of this day, he'd hear such information from Laxus' best friend. Bixlow didn't need to ask him if he would stay quiet about it and not tell the blond. Freed wouldn't say a thing about the conversation that just happened.

The last part was the part he repeated a few times in his own mind. He hadn't messed up anything. So the kiss…maybe wasn't so bad?

Time. Maybe time was what Laxus needed. Freed knew that he himself was sure about his feelings for the other but maybe Laxus needed some more reassurance.

 _He didn't mess up!_

This forenoon he'd headed to the Donnerhall with regained confidence. It got shattered after he arrived.

But now it was back. Confidence and a heart that was warm, beating rapidly and filled with new hope.

Exhaling slowly and quietly Freed didn't notice how a soft smile crept onto his face and he began playing with the drinking straw in his glass once more. "I see… Thank you, Bixlow."

The taller man patted the greenet's shoulder. He didn't plan on interfering in this matter but seeing how these two acted, obviously too nervous and awkward, caused him to spill these hopefully precious information. Nothing was messed up. They both just needed more time together and beside that Bixlow wanted to see his best friend happy.

And who knows, maybe he and Freed would build up a friendship as well.

Flashing a small grin at the greenet again Bixlow waved for Cana. "But now let's get another drink, Freed baby."

"… _stop this_."

* * *

 **I really love bringing the squad together slowly and I have to admit that I still just want to make Freed and Laxus share their first proper kiss bUUUUT it's not the time yet haha.**

 ** _LolBrand_ , thank you so much for your review! While I'm pretty used to writing Freed and Laxus I still have huge doubts on how I portray all the other characters, so I'm really glad to hear that you like my portrayals!**

 ** _u_ , oh god you've no idea how much your two reviews made me smile! It was so so encouraging, you've no idea and I'm so so happy that I can make you happy with this fic and that you like it! SO THANK YOU ACKKK 3**

 **So guys, thank you for your support! And if it takes me a bit longer to update again or if you have any questions then remember that you can always message me here, or on one of my tumblr accounts! 3**


	17. Call him maybe?

**Yas, made it on time! How have you been doing? I hope life is you all treating well! Don't let yourself stress too much, not by anything and not by anyone! Our two love birds are still making slow process, and the group is slowly growing! Enjoy the chapter!**

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Two weeks had passed since then. After this one day and evening Laxus, Freed, Bixlow and Evergreen spent together at the Donnerhall Club they had agreed to have such evenings or days more often. This group of people definitely had its dynamic and at first sight it appeared just like each of the four had an absolutely different character with only subtle similarities but after taking a closer look it became apparent that there were equal traits and views they supported and felt.

So after this decision they had seen each other more often during these last two weeks. Freed and Evergreen got to know Cana, Gajeel, Natsu and Gray better and one day Freed decided to bring Mira, Lisanna and Levy as well who also brought Lucy along one evening.

Laxus remembered the blonde and he also remembered that he thought that she was flirting with Freed. When he thought about it he got kinda embarrassed again, though deep down he knew that jealousy actually confirmed that… he indeed felt something for the man that was beyond friendship.

It quickly turned out that Bixlow and Lisanna got along very well. It was something positive of course, to see that everyone kinda got along, but in this case it also brought something negative – because Bix and Lisanna got along so well that they had much fun teasing people together.

Freed recalled one of the few evenings he feared that his face would burst because of the heat that had settled on his face. _Good Lord_ , he didn't know why he reacted so strongly whenever he got teased like that but he strongly assumed that it was because, more often than not, they mentioned Laxus in some way.

Speaking of him, his crush on the blond definitely hadn't gotten any less intense. Could he call it a crush still? No actually he was sure that he fell so hard that he fell in love. He was happy that there hadn't been a feeling of awkwardness or discomfort for a long time, however.

They all chatted, laughed and had fun together. The group that slowly gathered itself was a quite varied mixture beyond doubt but that wasn't something negative.

Now it was Thursday afternoon and Freed was cleaning the counter, humming a gentle tune to himself while Ever looked after the customers of the Strauss Café. It was their shift but Mirajane decided to stop by as well but this time for a different reason than to talk about some arrangements.

"So are you going? Or should I ask… Will Laxus be there," Mira asked with a mischievous smile as she sat in front of the counter Freed was cleaning. The male barely missed her question but then he lifted his head and blinked. "Going…? Going where?" He blinked again until suddenly he remembered what Mira showed him moments ago after she arrived here. "Oh! Uh…Probably. What about you, Mira?" He felt a bit embarrassed that he'd almost missed her question. It wasn't like him but lately he'd tended to get lost in his own thoughts again. This time most of these thoughts were positive, mind you.

"Of course I will. It's not very often that our town has such a big festival. I wouldn't want to miss this chance!" The woman smiled cheerfully and threw a look at the newspaper that had announced the event. Magnolia wasn't exactly small but not too big either. Perhaps this was part of the reason why Laxus' club was so successful; the people finally had something bigger to party at. Sure, there were many bars and smaller club's but Laxus' club was the most elaborate by far! "So…will _he_ be there?"

Breathing out Freed finally dropped what he was doing. He quickly searched for Ever though to see if she needed help or not. When he detected that it wasn't the case he leaned against the bar counter with a small smile. "I'm not sure… but I planned to ask him today. I will write him a message. Or maybe call him."

"Call him!," Mira spluttered out without a bit of hesitation. "You should definitely call him! Did you ever call before? For how long are you two dating now?"

"M-Mira, hold up! I'm not even certain if we are…dating. You know, lately we've just been spending time together without really doing something that could be compared to a…date. But I'm happy with how things are."

Mira slowly raised a brow. Freed opened his mouth to say something, then frowned and closed it again. "… well I mean… _for now_. I think Laxus needs some more time, Mira. And I'm fine with taking everything very slow."

Now the female nodded in understanding. "You will see it'll all be worth it. And I've seen you two together, you are adorable."

"We are not-"

"Adorable and happy together. I've seen how he looks at you, Freed. There is definitely more to this smile. You are not just a usual buddy for him."

The waiter sighed but regained a smile. He noticed all of this, too, but he didn't want to put up his hopes too much in fear of utter rejection in the end. "I really hope we are right, Mira."

"Have we ever not been right?" Mirajane stood up from her seat, winking at him, and the greenet didn't feel the need to protest. Instead he just chuckled slightly and moments later watched the owner of the café leave again.

Unconsciously Freed reached for his trouser pocket, feeling his phone beneath the fabric. Calling him, hm? Perhaps he should.

But he supposed that it would be better if he did so once he was home instead of calling Laxus right now even though the café wasn't too crowded at this very moment.

"Freed, we need two white coffees. To go." Just then Ever passed by, balancing two trays and walking behind to counter to put away all the empty glasses. "For table number five. They paid already."

"All right." Ah well, work was calling! But it helped letting time pass and sometimes made for good distraction as well. It was just a temporary job for both of them, him and Ever, but he was really fond of the atmosphere and of course his work mates. It was almost making him sad to think that at some point he wouldn't be working here anymore, but every time he felt this sting he just remembered that he could still always visit Café Strauss and it wasn't like he would lose touch with the Strauss family, after all.

Two white coffee to gos. And after his shift he would call Laxus.

xxx xxx

"Ya've been staring at this newspaper for like an hour now. Don't ya have finances to calculate or something?" Gajeel casually took a seat next to his boss-friend-one-of-his-favorite-persons-to-annoy-but-also-good-drinking-buddy. It was afternoon but a very quiet one so the bouncer could afford leaving the front door for a bit. It didn't have to be guarded 24/7 anyways.

Laxus hated finances and that was hardly a secret. "Don't ya have to be workin' or somethin'?" The blond grumbled but didn't bother to look at the man who'd seated himself beside him on one of the many free stools. Cana was chattering with one of the customers and in general there was barely anything very distracting going on right now… except for this newspaper. It announced a festival and Laxus was asking himself if Freed might attend.

"No needa get so grumpy. So what's so interesting 'bout that newspaper?"

"Nothin'. Just in no mood to take care of the damn finances." Brutally honest. Gajeel was used to it so all he did was to shrug. "Ya know, there are people who'd be willing to help ya." He paused for a moment before adding. "I'm not one of those persons."

"Tchz, as if I wouldn't know that." Gajeel and finances? Rather not. And to be quite honest, he was to stubborn to ask for help now. Apart from that he knew something Gajeel didn't know – that newspaper and a certain green-haired man were distracting him enough to make him care even less about the finances.

The issue wasn't urgent. It could wait for a bit longer. Laxus wouldn't risk the safety of his hard-earned Club. Well…leaving aside the fact that this building had belonged to his grandfather before.

"But it's not my job so I'm off the hook. Gihi." Gajeel grinned, then focused Cana as he waited for her to be ready with her chat so she could give him a drink.

Laxus just grunted but he knew the black-haired male was right. It wasn't his part.

Finally getting himself to lay the newspaper aside the blond gazed at the many sprawled out pages…and so many damn numbers. It wasn't like he didn't manage this shit…but it took him quite long and this work was a pain in the ass, though he knew it was part of his job. Thus he had to get it done. He wanted to keep everything neat and in order, so this was necessary.

After some moments the chattering got louder. No wonder since this time it was happening right next to him and it got even louder when Cana and Gajeel started bickering. It wasn't something uncommon.

Rubbing one of his temples in mild annoyance Laxus tried his best to let everything around him fade away. He was aware that he was the one who chose to work here at the bar but when he took this decision it hadn't been this noisy yet.

Eventually he just gave up. He had no nerve to concentrate on all these numbers now but no nerve to scold Cana or Gajeel either. So after some more moments of thinking he made sure to get the attention of his two friends who stopped in their little quarrel almost immediately when they heard Laxus.

"Hey, are ya wantin' to go to that festival on Saturday?" Laxus wasn't even sure if he had the possibility to go. It didn't feel right to go and let all the others take care of the club. He couldn't afford closing it for this evening and only opening it during afternoon, could he?

Cana and Gajeel were focusing him, both looking a little surprised when they heard the question. "Are you," Gajeel asked. Laxus usually wasn't the type for such festivals. Big crowded places, much socializing, noisiness.

Yes he ran a club. But here he could hide in the back and pull all the strings as the boss.

Laxus shrugged. "Maybe. Not sure what I'd do with the club if I was to go, though." If Cana, Gajeel and the others were not going to go then this wouldn't be an issue. He wasn't there all the time after all so it wouldn't be a problem for him to leave in the evening and attend the festival instead.

"Will someone else be there?" Cana rested her elbows on the bar counter, placing her chin on one of her palms as she looked at the blond. She wasn't even trying to play innocent. Laxus could tell who she was hinting at.

Out of the corner of his eyes he spotted Gajeel furrowing his brows in wonder. He had briefly got to know Freed, had heard a couple of things about him and knew that he was around Laxus more often lately. But it didn't seem as if the bouncer had any clue about Laxus' possible crush on the man.

Forcefully gazing at Cana the blond shrugged once more. "Dunno. No. No one that I know of."

"Fine fine, wait lemme ask something different- Are you planning on asking _someone else_ to go?"

Gajeel's brows furrowed even more at the sound of how Cana pronounced the 'someone else'. The woman had no obvious grin on her face but that didn't matter; the glint in her eyes was way more than enough.

Laxus grumbled. He didn't owe her a reply, even less now that Gajeel was here. He hardly wanted anyone else to get suspicious. Even though it was probably justified. Wasn't it? And Cana was right, too. He really did wish to ask someone if he was going or not… "All I wanted to know was if ya wanna go or not. Now do ya wanna go or are ya not?" He made sure to sound a little extra annoyed though was now mindlessly gripping one of the pages and looked at the numbers without any actual care.

"Calm down, Sparky, geez." The brunette squinted at her boss and friend. "Let's say that if ya decide to go, I could stay here and still make sure to run most of the club. If ya say ya don't go but ya want me to be here, then I'll be here." She paused, twitching her shoulders and withdrawing from the counter as she crossed her arms. "And if ya want to go and decide to, I dunno, close the club for the evening and night, then I will be going to the festival, too. Never passin' a chance for possible free drinks up."

Of course she wouldn't. Laxus should have considered that earlier. "'lright. I'll think about it until tomorrow. The festival's on Saturday. What about you, Gajeel?"

"Not that big on such festival things," Gajeel answered what wasn't much of a revelation. He was a fan of concerts but outdoor festivals like this one? Many drunks and weird people? Possibly not even music he enjoyed much? Ah, he didn't know. "Could consider it, though."

Laxus nodded in acknowledgment. "Good. That's all I wanted to know." Without saying anything else the club boss began to gather all the papers, stood up from his chair and then left to his office.

Gajeel had noticed it first. That something was off with Laxus. But he had never asked again after that one time.

Cana knew more. But she too stayed more in the background currently.

Both of them exchanged a look, however no talking followed afterwards. At least no talking about this exact matter. They both remained silent, each with their own thoughts on Laxus' behavior.

xxx xxx

It was ten in the evening when Freed finally plopped down on his beloved armchair in the living room. A white towel wrapped around his waist and drying hair tied up to a bun until he could blow-dry it he reached for his mobile phone.

It hadn't really been a stressful day. Or maybe that was just what he imagine because his mood had been incredibly good all day long and now he was still smiling. All he hoped was that he would receive a positive answer to what he would be asking in a bit.

Humming to himself he searched for a certain contact and hit the call symbol once he's found the one with the name 'Laxus'.

Laxus was probably at the club still. Would he hear the call? Surely! He had to be available after all, right? He could ignore the call… but Freed didn't believe that he would. Unless he was in a bad mood. Or had a different reason for not taking the call.

But just when Freed's thought threatened to start becoming a mess a deep and familiar voice could be heard on the other end and it almost gave the waiter a heart attack.

 _"_ _Freed. Is somethin' the matter?"_

"Laxus! Hey!" The greeting stumbled out of his mouth without his permission. He could picture the blond man perfectly, hearing this voice was enough for the images of him in his mind to get more lively. It was too quiet for the blond to be in the main hall so he assumed that he was either at home or in his little private room.

Quickly collecting himself again he continued. "Ah yes, actually I wanted to ask you something."

 _"_ _Oh yea sure. What's up?"_

Freed wished he could see Laxus' face right now. It would make this so much easier, he assumed. Being able to see his face, maybe catching the one or other change in his eyes or expression in general. Now he had just his voice and while he loved listening to it, it didn't give away much of how the blond was feeling.

Clearing his throat his lips curled into a smile nonetheless. He had hoped that Laxus would be there or would change his mind and go if he knew that Freed would be there. "There is a festival in town this Saturday. It starts at eight in the evening. I wasn't sure if I will be going though I said that it could be a nice change. So I… thought I ask if you will be there as well?"

 _"_ _Ah yea…"_

Laxus must have heard of the festival then? The green-haired man crinkled his nose.

 _"_ _Thought about that, too, actually. Read it in the newspaper a few hours ago."_

Freed remained silent still, anticipating Laxus to say more. Of course he couldn't know that the blond had pondered on the exact same question! And of course Laxus wouldn't say a word about it now.

In fact, the blond continued, the tone of his vox still not revealing anything.

 _"_ _I'm not sure what I'll do about my club yet, to be honest."_

Freed's heart dropped. Ah sure, he should have thought of that beforehand… The club had opened at the late hours as well. But Laxus wasn't there all the time, right? Maybe…

Just then more words followed.

 _"_ _But I talked about it with Cana and Gajeel. Told them I'll think about a possible solution."_

A pause. Freed's hope rose a little once more.

 _"_ _Think I'll close the club for the late hours this day. So Cana can go, too."_

Another thing Freed wouldn't know – Laxus decided this just this moment. Now that he knew that the greenet would be present… He didn't want to miss this chance and them meeting there wouldn't feel forced.

Freed's face lit up as he heard his answer. That was his final reply, yes? He almost forgot that he was supposed to say something again and when it struck him that he should probably answer he almost dropped the phone, a wide smile on his face. "Oh..oh yes that sounds like a good plan! So…it's settled? We'll meet there then?"

 _"_ _Yea. We'll meet there. Cana will be there, too, most likely."_

 _No problem!_ God, again he felt like a totally love struck teenager and he knew he probably wouldn't stop smiling for the entire rest of the night. He was hardly able to contain his happiness but didn't want the blond to notice how extreme it was in reality. Still, he had to say something!

"Laxus?" He took a deep breath. Soundlessly so Laxus wouldn't hear it. "I'm looking forward to it."

And it was quiet on the other end. Oh crap, perhaps he shouldn't have said this after all! Maybe it sounded too clingy! Too obvious? Maybe Laxus didn't–

 _"_ _Yea. Same."_

Was that a low chuckle he heard? Oh god hopefully Laxus hadn't noticed anything! If he would see him right now! But the smile was back on Freed's features and he heaved his legs up on the armchair, not caring that he wore a towel only still, leaning back as he lowered his voice a little, unintentionally. "All right. I don't want to detain you. So…sleep well."

… _"_ _Thanks. G'night, Freed."_

And the phone call ended.

He was going to burn these words into his mind for now and think of them when he crawled beneath his sheets. _Good night, Freed._

Today he noticed more then ever how lost he was.

But he didn't mind. Especially not now that he arranged their second official date.

* * *

 **I'd like to thank all my loyal readers, and all the new ones, too! Knowing that someone enjoys my writing makes me super happy! ;w; If you have any tips, please feel free to tell me!**

 **Goddammit, sometimes this slow progress is killing me! They are killing me! What do you think? Is it too slow, or just fine? Either way, I hope I can give my fellow Fraxus shippers some fluffy feels!**

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	18. The festival

**Hey guys, I live! Again I apologize for this late update. I think it's time to say that I probably won't be able to keep the regular updates up but I'll do my best to get something written up as soon as possible! I totally forgot to upload the chap here omg, I posted it a week ago on tumblr already. But here you go! I hope it's enjoyable for all my wonderful readers. 3**

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Saturday came around fast. It was the day of this week Freed had been looking forward to the most but after he woke up he felt the all too familiar feeling of nervousness growing steadily with every hour that passed by.

Actually he didn't doubt that this night was going to be great. He knew that many of his friends would be at the festival. He would be taking Ever along of course, and he knew for sure that Mirajane, Lisanna and Elfman would be present as well. Needless to say he expected the Strauss brother and his best friend Evergreen to disappear together at some point to have some privacy. Neither of the two was all too great with the public display of affection thing and Freed had taken this chance to tease the brunette often enough.

That's why he had no right to complain at all whenever the female now started to fire back and tease him with Laxus.

Yes, Laxus would be there! He'd been so happy when they agreed to their second, probably more or less unofficial date. Freed assumed that the festival would be well-attended and he had noticed that the blond man's social skills weren't at its best but that was no issue, not for him. He was overly glad that the man decided to come despite all of that and that he wanted to spend time with him.

The two of them kept messaging each other the last days after their call, though hadn't seen each other again. The greenet was convinced that it was ridiculous to have such a thought running around in his mind already but- he wanted to hear Laxus' voice again. He loved the sound of it. It bore something soothing and even though the taller man didn't talk a lot he cherished hearing him converse with someone, preferably with him of course.

Freed wasn't the only one with nervousness issues, however. Even though Laxus tried to hide this kinda annoying feeling with all his power, it was once again Cana who noted and remarked something about her boss and friend's behavior. The lady bartender had already guessed that a certain green-haired male was involved and after two days of watching the blond walking around like a tiger in a cage she'd decided to ask him if something was wrong.

Needless to say he hadn't given her a straight answer but that wasn't necessary anyway. This very reaction just confirmed all of the brunette's assumptions, really.

Now that it was Saturday and the day progressed both of the men began to stress about a couple of things in their own way, both of them handled their nervousness in a different manner though there were two things their situations had definitely in common.

The first thing was that they both were looking forward to seeing each other again. Freed would most likely admit it way easier towards one of his friends, or in a more obvious manner, than Laxus would but that didn't erase the fact that they wanted to meet.

And the second thing was… Well, their reactions, rambles and quirks did amuse their friends who had to or willingly watched them during the last days and at this very moment, as they got ready to go.

Right now Laxus was standing in front of his wardrobe, silently gazing at the clothes he had at choice while his best friend was lounging on his bed.

"Dude…" Bixlow supported himself on his elbows. His tone sounded serious but Laxus could only guess that whatever was going to follow would be something that either irritated or embarrassed him. He would admit to the first one, though certainly not to the latter. "…I think that's the first time I see ya standin' in front of your wardrobe for so long. Ya sure ya don't need help?"

"I can pick my outfit by myself, shut up," Laxus grumbled but it wasn't really a surprise that he heard quiet cackling in response. Why was Bixlow here again anyway? …right, he was going to the festival with him.

When was the last time that he attended any such event, Laxus asked himself. It must have been quite a long while ago. Not only didn't he have the time, but not the interest either. Many people in a crowded place, chatting and drunk people weren't his thing. Hah, it was even a bit of irony that he ended up opening a club.

Furrowing his brows at this thought he reached forward picking a black shirt.

"Are ya going to a funeral?"

"I said shut up." No, obviously he wasn't! Ah dammit, he hated that he felt so insecure right now but he turned around nonetheless and shot a soft glare at his friend. "What's wrong with black anyway? Isn't it elegant or some shit?"

Bixlow's jaw almost ended up dropping. Was that his Laxus? Man, if he didn't know what the issue was then he would have asked many many questions now. If he didn't know. Because he did know. The 'issue' had long green hair and worked at Café Strauss. "Ya really want to impress him again, huh?"

Did he? Laxus had never been one to do things to impress others. On the other hand he had never been in love before.

"…no." This answer was most likely a lie but while he was thinking about this the feeling of insecurity just increased. In love… The thought scared him, it scared him so much. But this was where this entire thing was heading towards, wasn't it? Love… He was far from being dumb, he noticed the changes and he couldn't ignore certain feelings or thoughts he had when thinking about or talking to Freed.

Laxus turned back towards his wardrobe and hung back the black shirt. He wasn't even sure why he was stressing about this. It wasn't like him and wasn't it true that he had caught Freed's intention without doing something special?

This thought though managed to get his thought process back on a more positive way now. Yes, all he had done was to visit the café on a regular basis. That's where it all started. A cup of coffee he could drink inside and then always a coffee-to-go before he left.

Freed liked him for who he was. Laxus never disguised himself in front of him.

And with this in mind he went to grab one of his casual purple shirts. He felt comfortable in them the most, and he did want to feel as comfortable as possible tonight.

xxx xxx

"Is he stressing about this a lot," Lisanna asked with a chuckle on her face as she could imagine already what the answer to her question would be.

"Well actually…, " Evergreen began but got promptly interrupted by a shout coming from another room.

"Ever, have you seen my hairbrush?! I need it!"

The addressed woman sighed, though with a small smirk on her face. Stressing? Ooooh no, never. "Did you look under your blanket or pillow?" She went silent, awaiting his response and when she heard an '..ah, yea..yes you're right, I found it' her smirk just stretched further.

Turning her attention back to the youngest Strauss sibling Evergreen chuckled. "Freed? Stressing? No, clearly not."

Her response earned a chuckle from both Lisanna and Mira. The two white-haired women had come a little earlier before all four of them would attend the outdoor festival. Mirajane had already known that Freed was meeting someone there and her and Ever had quite a long conversation about this evening already. Now that Lisanna heard of it, too she couldn't contain her amusement though just as much hope and happiness. All three of them certainly wanted things to go well for their male friend.

"He's so nervous again, I'm sure he doesn't need to be," Mira commented in a soft voice looking towards the room Freed was probably styling his hair in at this very moment. "But I'm also sure that his date isn't spared from nervousness either."

Lisanna nodded in agreement while Ever took a sip from her champagne glass before furrowing his brows gently. "He's nervous but it's…a rather positive nervousness this time. His hopes raised again." A fairly soft smile rose to her features as she thought about it. She wanted this happiness for Freed, they all did, and it was good that the green-haired man was able to see this entire situation in a more positive light after having so many doubts. Evergreen was certain that these doubts hadn't entirely disappeared though were just buried somewhere deep down, so she dearly wanted his hopes not to be completely in vain.

"That's good to hear. He needed some positive vibes," Mirajane agreed remembering some of their brief conversations. No matter what the outcome of this entire situation would be, all of his friends would be there for him, that was for sure.

"Anyway, I need to go to the bathroom." With that Ever emptied her glass of champagne and stood up from the couch, straightening her dress a bit before she headed towards said room leaving the two Strauss siblings alone. The two of them were ready to go, now Evergreen just needed to put on some make-up and Freed was putting the finishing touches to his appearance, too.

And then the night shall begin.

xxx xxx

They could hear the loud music banging from afar already but the sound wasn't what was giving Laxus a slightly anxious feeling. No, as usual it was the crowd of people that waited for him.

It wasn't a secret that his social skills were far from being perfect. He just tended to feel out of place so very quickly and the fact that he wasn't the most skilled small talker wasn't really benefitting in this case.

This time though there was something different. No only did he have company in form of his best friend, but he had a date and talking to Freed had started to become easier. The blond knew that they would meet Cana, another person he knew, but then there was the possibility that Freed took someone along as well.

With a frown he remembered the encounter with Lucy once again. Man, that had been awkward. Not that he cared too much but… he'd rather avoid such situations and misunderstandings in the future. It was good that he'd met a couple of more people during the last two weeks. He was possibly about to make, or maybe already had made, new friends. Him? Such a social weirdo? Yea… he really did meet nice people and he was secretly grateful for it.

Laxus hated how often thoughts of this emotional kind crossed his mind lately. He was used to dealing with only a few people and just having one, two or three people he really considered close. So many things seemed to be changing.

"Ya think they have candy booth?"

The blond man turned his head and raised a brow at the question. "What, ya wanna eat candyfloss or some of this disgustingly sweet shit?" Eww. Way too sweet for his liking. He knew though that Bixlow would die for sweets.

Well perhaps not literally die…but you know.

"Of course man!" The blue-haired man turned to him, his expression almost indignant. "Candy belongs to such a festival night. It ain't gonna be a festival if there are no food and candy booths, Laxus. Candy, music, alcohol, loud people. The smell of food, happiness and sweat and-"

"Goddammit Bix, shut it!" Laxus really didn't need to hear one of his speeches right now.

The tall male merely cackled and proceeded to throw an arm around the other man's shoulder. "So ya still nervous?"

"I ain't nervous," Laxus grumbled. Yea well he might be a little nervous, so what? He wasn't going to show it. After all he was sincerely looking forward to seeing Freed, and perhaps his friends, too!

"Alright yer not nervous." Bixlow pulled away and threw his hands in the air as a sign of defeat. Then the grin turned more into a smile. "I didn't ask ya yet… but have ya decided what yer gonna do?"

"About what?"

"Freedo. Kiss the man or wait longer and kiss the man?" After all two weeks had passed. Bixlow didn't want to push his best friend but now he'd gotten curious. To him everything seemed to develop in a positive way and he wanted Laxus to be happy with the outcome of this entire situation.

Laxus couldn't answer immediately. Truth was that he didn't exactly take a decision. He just wasn't able to just go up to Freed and kiss him, not yet. He feared that it would feel forced and perhaps warp the feelings. Goddammit, he hadn't been thinking about feelings so much for a freaking long time!

Bixlow could see the struggles on the blond's face but commenting on it wouldn't do any good. Quickly taking a decision all he did next was to gently bump Laxus' shoulder in understanding. "'s alright, I won't ask again. Ya'll do great." He meant it, and Laxus knew he did. He was his best friend after all and no matter how often they bickered and teased, they just wanted the best for each other.

Now that his friend mentioned it again, the question got stuck in his mind once more, however. Of course he'd been thinking about it for days and nights. How to go on? Should he grasp the nettle? Or wait until Freed was ready a second time? Laxus noticed that he could clear up his thoughts a little, at least regarding the feelings he nourished towards the waiter.

By now he could say with certainty that it was a crush. At least. Truth is, he didn't dare to say that it could be _love_ yet.

Laxus gave an absent-minded but thankful nod. Though evolving around a possible second kiss roamed around in his mind for the rest of the way they walked but he just wasn't able to figure out how he would most likely feel if it came down to such a situation once more. Perhaps waiting, and trying not to think so much, would be the best option after all.

The two men needed to walk a couple of more minutes only. Bixlow would have offered to drive and if the way to their destination had been longer then Laxus would have accepted the offer. Not under these circumstances, though. He preferred walking. His discomfort with any means of transportation had its fair reason.

When they reached the festival they were barely able to hear each other's voice. The music as loud as anticipated but they both were used to music drumming in their ear anyway.

Unconsciously Laxus began to search for a familiar flash of green hair, right hand moving up to run through his blond hair. It was a few minutes past nine in the evening and they had agreed that they would meet here at nine. If he learned one thing about Freed then it was that he was very punctual.

"Yooo guys! Look who's arrived!"

Laxus almost flinched when someone threw an arm around his shoulder all of a sudden. Dammit, a large crowd of people plus lots of casual contact! Nope, this would never be his thing!

Fortunately he recognized the voice fairly quick and with a snort he returned the greeting. "Cana yea, hey."

The brunette stood between the two tall man, one arm slung around Laxus and the other around Bixlow who was grinning and briefly fist bumping with the woman.

"Since when are ya here," Bix asked and didn't fail to notice the scent of alcohol wavering from her. It was no secret that Cana loved alcohol and had a very high tolerance for it, so this wasn't a surprise at all.

"An hour maybe," the brunette replied and nudged the blue-haired man gently. "Hey, I saw somethin' ya're gonna like." She smirked, being aware of how much the man loved sweets. When she continued she lowered her voice a little though, throwing a quick glance at Laxus before slowly withdrawing from the two. "I can show ya, whatcha think? We eat somethin' together and let this guy here be happy to greet his date."

"Huh?" The noise Bixlow made was louder than intended and he immediately looked back ahead just in time to see a familiar green-haired man make his way through the crowd. Towards them. Towards Laxus.

Getting Cana's hint he regained his grin and gave Laxus another nudge as well, not caring that the blond was grumbling and even blushing a tiny little bit. "See ya in a bit then!"

With that Bixlow and Cana turned around, leaving a club manager who felt totally out of place. Hopefully not for long!

"Laxus!"

Freed sounded happy, Laxus thought, and the wide smile on the man's features just confirmed this assumption. Sure he was! They'd both been looking forward to this event! Well…Laxus hadn't been looking forward to this event but to meeting Freed in particular.

Attempting to put his cool and confident expression into place the blond put his hands in his trouser pockets and took a couple of steps forward. "Hey."

"Hey! You're here!"

"'course I am. Promised after all." Laxus gave a crooked grin but then briefly scratched the back of his head in a slight wave of awkwardness. "Sorry I'm a bit late."

"It's fine," Freed was quick to reassure and Laxus heard him taking a soft breath. "We only just arrived a moments ago." The greenet hadn't much time to appreciate the other man's appearance as he didn't want to be too obvious… but he loved this purple shirt! It looked so good on Laxus!

"We? Who came with ya?" It wasn't a surprise that someone accompanied Freed, the waiter had informed him about it after all, though he didn't know who exactly was with him.

"Ever, Mira and Lisanna. Elfman will come a bit later and Levy and Lucy might appear later as well." But honestly, Freed was just really happy that Laxus was here at last. He could hear his heart beating already and was kinda glad that the music was fairly loud.

"'lright. I'm gonna greet them later, yea?" He buried his hands in his trouser pockets again, orange gaze running over Freed's appearance for a moment and he caught himself how he silently loved how he looked once more. Before the greenet could possibly notice something though he quickly created eye-contact again. He thought it was a good idea but just at this very moment he felt something intense tingling inside of him. When their eyes met, Freed's lips parted ever so slightly as he stared back into orange eyes, he found himself mesmerized for a moment. And god that sounded kitschy!

Breaking loose from this connection at last Laxus cleared his throat and smiled faintly. He saw Freed smiling a little in return and that was when he thought; yes maybe, maybe attending this event was a great decision. "So do ya wanna go get a drink?"

"Gladly." Freed nodded and turned, lips curving upwards a little more as he did so.

 _Yes perhaps, perhaps this was going to be an important night._

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 **That's it for now! Thanks again for your patience and I hope I'm able to keep you entertained and give you some OTP feels nonetheless. Stay safe you all, and if you have questions or just wanna talk you can message me on here or on one of my tumblr accounts** **. Ilu all!**


	19. A missed chance?

**Here it is, the promised update for Coffee to go! FINALLY! Guys, I'm so so sorry that it took me so long and I cannot make a promise for when the next update will be up. But I thank you all for your patience again and hope that some of you are still interested in this story of mine. Hopefully this chapter is enjoyable and as always feedback would be very very appreciated.**

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Ever since that tingling feeling appeared it didn't vanish completely anymore. It seemed that whenever he was talking to Freed and see him smile, be it because he was passionate about the conversation's topic or a different reason, this feeling increased for the briefest of moments. Laxus couldn't deny that it was confusing him but he tried not to put too much focus on it because truth be told, he was enjoying this... date.

The music was still loud and at the beginning it had really bothered him a lot. Not just because his senses were rather sensitive but also since the loud drumming and banging was making it harder to hear anything else properly. After getting their drink the two men had withdrawn to a less crowded corner, though.

"The beer's very good," Laxus admitted after he'd emptied his second mug and Freed agreed with a smile, happy that the other found something he enjoyed. "I had though ya'd get yourself a glass of wine."

The greenet's lips curved at this statement. "I'm not certain if they offer wine here. But I do enjoy a good beer as well." He turned his head looking at him with an almost challenging expression. "Is that really so surprising?"

"Well uh..." Dammit, he was doing it again. But this time it wasn't because of that intense look and that ever so slight smirk that did look rather attractive – no, this time it was because he truly didn't know what to answer. Laxus didn't want to offend Freed in any way so that's where that small stutter came from. "I mean.. You always give a very proper impression. 's not too surprisin', I just meant that-"

But Freed laughed shortly, the sound making the blond interrupt and watch how the other's features softened again. "It's fine, Laxus. I do enjoy some things people would label as... 'proper'. Though let's say I am not a book someone can judge by its cover only," he added with a playful spark in his eyes then took another sip from his beer.

Yea, Laxus had noticed that there was more to this pony-tailed guy that worked at Café Strauss, polite and proper. And it seemed that this very waiter had the potential to break Laxus' hard shell even further than his best friends could. Perhaps this was also part of what was making him nervous and insecure – opening himself towards someone even more. But that's what love is. _Trust, being able to be oneself, comfort._

"Tchz." That was his only reaction to the greenet's tease but he had to grin a little himself putting the empty mug aside on a nearby table and seeing Freed chuckle. He had to admit that the evening was enjoyable so far but perhaps that was only because hadn't been dragged into the crowd yet. Or because his noisy and nosy friends had yet to create chaos.

Ah, and speak of the devil...

"There you are!"

Apparently the 'alone time' was over for now and Laxus almost emitted a low groan without noticing as he saw Cana and Bixlow making their way through the crowd, waving towards the two men cheerfully and not caring about the people that bumped into them. He secretly hoped that his best friend hadn't consumed too much alcohol yet. His tolerance was miserable – when Laxus wasn't even tipsy, Bixlow was usually drunk already when he decided to drink alcohol.

"Thought you could escape from us?" Cana grinned once standing in front of the tall blond and the shorter green-haired man. She gave Freed a grin as well who responded with a simple 'hey' directed at the new company. He'd met both of them already after all.

"No one's escapin'," Laxus grumbled before pointing out that they had been the ones vanishing to... do what exactly? Get candy? Alcohol?

"Yea yea, sure. So what have ya been doin' here?"

"We talked and enjoyed some beer," Freed answered the brunette and proceeded to take the last sip of the alcoholic liquid before letting his mug join Laxus' on the bar table. "The beer is really good actually."

"Hell yea, it is!" Cana agreed casually before she gave a small wink at what Laxus snorted quietly. "But not better than what I mix at the club."

"Your cocktails do taste amazing. I'm willing to try another one the next time I visit the Donnerhall Club." Freed hadn't taken note of the snort coming from the man next to him and gave a sincere smile. Cocktails could be great if mixed correctly – and Cana honestly did an awesome job.

"Sure thing, Freed."

"So ya've talked?" Bixlow threw in, about to continue but Laxus' glare stopped him. Oh the blond knew what he was wanting to say.

"Yea. We did."

And Bixlow just raised his hands innocently making Laxus roll his eyes.

"So where's yer squad at?" The brunette noticed the exchange of glances between Laxus and Bix but only grinned to herself. Honestly, the blond and the greenet were just perfect to tease though she didn't want to push it to far and risk ruining things for them. She could tease them all she wanted once they were an actual and official thing – and she was positive that these two were going to be exactly that. She'd never seen her friend and boss like that – thoughtful, nervous, dating...

"Oh they must be somewhere near." Freed blinked and glanced around briefly to try and see if he could spot any of his friends. "If Elfman has arrived then I'm sure he's somewhere with Ever. Mira and Lisanna are probably dancing." That's what he would guess at least.

"So... Mirajane's here, too, yea?"

All of them had grown together a bit more. It was great. It was like... becoming a bigger squad, a small family. That's what they all thought but no one had voiced it yet. Still, this question came unexpected.

"She is," Freed nodded and then tilted his head a bit. Laxus had raised his brows and Bix was looking at Cana with curiosity.

"Oh that's cool." Was there... a hint of a blush on the brunette's face? No, this must be pure imagination. Cana hardly ever blushed unless it was from the alcohol or anger. Nonetheless Laxus couldn't help a small grin – now that he did spot the chance to tease her back for once he just had to grab it. "You wanna tell us somethin', Cana?"

The brunette suddenly felt like their stares were burning on her skin, all three men looking at her attentively and every of them with a slightly different look. There was Laxus' cocky grin, the big silly curve on Bixlow's lips and a hardly visible smirk in Freed's face. The latter was something she would have to get used to still while she'd seen the other two plenty of times before – just not directed at her.

Furrowing her brows Cana gave a defensive 'tchz' and waved her hand. "Nah, nothin'!" It was obvious she tried to sound a little exasperated, or outraged maybe. "Whatever, you guys can stay here and be borin' but I'm gonna dance," she added quickly before anyone else could respond and then turned around with another wave of her hand.

Laxus just kept a light grin knowing that he had struck a nerve and the three men exchanged swift glances before Freed sighed quietly. He hadn't bonded with anyone else so fast since Evergreen and him encountered the Strauss Family but it was feeling good and he found himself glancing at the spot where Cana had vanished into the crowd.

"I think I'm gonna join her," Bixlow thought aloud. "You gonna join us, too?"

The question made Laxus and Freed look at each other with almost the same expression and it almost caused the blue-haired male to cackle. It was like he could read what was on their minds at this very moment but he stayed quiet and just awaited their reply.

"I _um_... don't usually dance," the greenet stated a bit hesitantly and slowly detached his gaze from Laxus to put his focus back on Bixlow instead. "Unless one of the girls drags me onto the dance floor." He thought back to the time Ever and him had visited the club, the evening he had discovered that the blond was the manager of it. It had been the evening that led to their first date and the thought made Freed smile inwardly before Laxus' voice dragged him back to the here and now. His date.

"Me neither. You know that." Especially not in public. Laxus huffed at his best friend and crossed his arms. He was the manager of his club for a reason, not an entertainer, and he hardly ever stepped onto the dance floor to do what it was thought for – to dance.

"Aaalrighty but if you happen to change your mind then you know where to find us." Truth be told, Bixlow had expected this answer already but he didn't mind much. He liked dancing because he didn't care how he looked while doing so and because it could be a hella lot of fun. Apart from that though he was totally fine with granting these two a bit more time for themselves. Well, kind of with all these people around.

Laxus nodded and then watched how his best friend disappeared into the crowd as well, off to find Cana.

"I'm a little hungry." Freed wasn't going to admit that he had barely eaten anything before they had headed out for the festival and if he was going to drink a bit more then he would have to consume something being perfectly aware of his low tolerance for alcohol. "Do you want to go look for something to eat?"

"Sure." Now that Freed mentioned it he wouldn't mind that at all. "You want anythin' special?"

"Let's go see what they offer. I've spotted a candy shop and one where they offer pizza already."

"Anythin' but candy," Laxus groaned making the other chuckle. "No, don't worry. Candy wouldn't satisfy my hunger anyway," Freed added quickly and kept the light curve on his lips. Candy wasn't exactly his thing either although he would admit that he enjoyed fruity chocolate or pudding every once in a while.

"And no mussels."

"I don't believe that they offer this kind of food here anyway." Freed laughed a bit, remembering their conversation about mussels at their first date clearly. Man, this evening had gotten interrupted really badly but this time it seemed that everything was going well. He felt comfortable, thought that Laxus was feeling less awkward, too. That's what counted and he was unable to prevent the warm feeling that claimed him.

"Good." Laxus left a snort but grinned a bit before the two went to search something for them to eat, avoiding to dive into the horde of people as long as they could.

The festival's atmosphere was incredibly good and thus far nothing bad had happened. They had spotted police men here and there but it was just the usual safety precaution at such a big event. Weather was on their side and they had gotten more or less used to the banging of music.

After walking around and chatting for quite some time they settled for simple pizza. Freed chose one with tuna and mushrooms and Laxus got himself a classic salami and ham one and the hum the greenet gave let the taller man assume that he too was enjoying this snack.

"I don't eat pizza very often," Freed admitted with a quite contented expression as he took another bite. "This one is surprisingly good for a festival's pizza. Just like the beer."

Laxus agreed silently, nodding as he watched him while eating as well. Perhaps he had wanted to badmouth this event at the very beginning because he barely ever attended such. But now he would confess that it had indeed not been a bad decision to come – if anything, it had been a great one even though he still wanted to avoid staying in the middle of the crowd for too long.

He had Freed to focus on and funnily enough this realization almost made him avert his eyes. Even more so when he spotted the bit of sauce on one corner of his date's mouth.

For a couple of heartbeats all Laxus did was to stare at this spot whilst Freed kept eating his slice of pizza, unaware of the other's gaze. The tall blond was unable to remember any moment he had been in a situation like this one, simple because there had never been one before. Usually he couldn't care less about such little things but he caught himself thinking a quite bold thought. _Quite bold._

Quickly blinking twice he got rid of it as fast as he could, a frown forming on his face immediately and grumbling as he took another bite of his own pizza. Thankfully Freed had been busy watching the other people while eating and took note of neither his grumble nor the previous look he gave him.

But it turned out that the spot of sauce on Freed's skin wasn't going to leave him alone, nor did the greenet took note of it. So after they had eaten up Laxus cleared his throat, expression as neutral as possible and his tone a familiarly neutral as he pointed at the other's mouth subtly what earned him a wondering look. "You uh-"

"Freed!"

The addressed man was just about to ask what Laxus was going to say as the familiar voice made him turn his head and right after a smile settled on his face. "Lisanna," he greeted his friend and then watched her turn towards the other man briefly.

"Hi!" She smiled brightly, seeming to be perfectly contented with the tiny nod she received from Laxus in response.

"Where are Evergreen and Mira?"

"Ever sneaked away with a certain someone." She chuckled, briefly nudging Freed's side who immediately began to smirk slightly. "I knew it," he hummed before letting Lisanna finish. "Mira went to dance while I promised to get us some pizza. And uh- Freed." The female tilted her head, her wide smile becoming rather amused. "You've got... a bit of sauce there." She gestured to her own mouth and observed how the man blinked before the realization dawned on him and he quickly raised a hand to make this little mishap disappear.

Laxus grumbled quietly but he still enjoyed the tiny blush that settled on the greenet's face.

"Thanks," he mumbled throwing a quick look at the blond and then one at Lisanna. "Well now you know that we just ate something as well. The pizza is definitely recommendable."

"Good because I was gonna get one for my sis and myself. If you want you can wait and then we'll go look for the others together."

Freed and Laxus exchanged a look but ended up silently agreeing that they would accept Lisanna's suggestion. Privacy was hard to get around here anyway and while the chance of getting teased was so much higher when they were with this bunch of lovable idiots it felt like the right thing to do for now.

So they waited, chatted a bit until the female returned with two slices of vegetarian pizza for Mirajane and herself. "Here we go. So let's look where they went," Lis chimed and took the lead, leaving the two men behind a little but they made sure to follow.

It wouldn't be all too hard to spot Elfman; it was just impossible to oversee the bulky over two meter man. Mira wasn't tall but her vibrant white hair would be easy to see once they came closer. Bixlow was quite noticable as well. They would find at least one of them for sure, and once they found one then the one or other would be near, too!

The three continued to slither through the horde of many different kinds of people and Laxus frowned feeling quite uncomfortable to do so. One time he thought to see Gajeel with his long wild hair but the man vanished out of his sight too quickly as that he could be sure about it. He stayed close to Freed who never left his side either as they followed Lisanna and the greenet threw a glance and a small smile at the taller man and then blushed a little as he almost bumped into Lis who had stopped walking.

"I think I've found two of them," Lis pointed out leaning closer to the two men and gesturing towards the two female figures in the middle of the dancing area.

"Is that.. Mira and Cana?" Freed blinked as he saw the two leaned in rather close towards each other. Mira giggled and Cana had a soft grin on her face as far as he could see. The brunette seemed to be rather caught off guard when the white-haired café owner suddenly returned her subtle grin but a moment later they were laughing, never breaking the eye-contact they were holding.

"Liar," Laxus rumbled. His lips were slightly curved upwards though, thinking back to the conversation Freed, Bixlow and him had with Cana before she left to dance. The greenet chuckled at this short statement, agreeing silently.

"I hadn't seen this coming," Freed admitted and Laxus shrugged, snorting. "Tch, me neither." Then again... well, he had known that Cana had a thing for both genders and she flirted a lot but Laxus couldn't remember her being having a sincere crush on someone.

"Wow," Lisanna mumbled. "I think my sis has to tell me something later."

"Perhaps," the greenet agreed and his chuckle turned into a small smile. Maybe he would ask Mira about it at work some time.

The two men stood there with crossed arms and Lisanna kept watching her sister and Cana for a few short moments longer. Her expression turned thoughtful briefly and she looked to and fro between the females and the two males by her side one time before a smile with the slightest of teasing touches blossomed on her face.

"You know, the way Mira and Cana are looking at each other. I've seen it somewhere before in my circle of friends before." She focused the men intently in silence but then suddenly turned and left into the direction that led to her sister and the lady bartender.

Freed and Laxus were left gazing into each other's eyes, the meaning of Lisanna's words so obvious that both of their faces heated up slightly. But then they looked away in unison, feeling this tingling feeling again and Freed cleared his throat before he asked Laxus if they should follow and he just nodded.

 _Dammit, maybe I should have kissed him,_ Laxus thought...

 _Perhaps this would have been a good moment to kiss him again,_ Freed thought...

And heartbeats later they were greeted by cheerful shouts if Cana and Mira, Bixlow not far away.

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 **That's it for now and I hope you liked it! The Canajane was not planned at all but it somehow happened haha. Stay safe you all and have a great weekend!**


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